As You Wish
by Keolla
Summary: AU: Once upon a time, Kagome controlled Inuyasha with simple prayer beads. Forget that. What if during modern Tokyo…Kagome is forced to be his reluctant personal ‘slave’ for two weeks? Let the controlling games begin. InuKag
1. Cessation of Freedom

**Disclaimer:** The characters of Inuyasha belong to the talented and brilliant Rumiko Takahashi and I am not making a profit in the writing or in the display of this story. However, the plot and anything you do not recognize belong to my wonderfully wild mind.

**A/N:** Ordinary slave story? I think not. I checked, I haven't seen any like this, so if there really is, please tell me. This idea fluttering around my head was just too fun to pass up. And just to emphasize since most overlook the summary: This is definitely Inu/Kag.

**Please note: **If you have read this story before 2005, I have changed bits and pieces of the initial 9 chapters. It in no way obstructs your viewing though, so there is no reason to read over. The rating has been raised to an R, but I warn you now, if you're looking for a lemon, this isn't the place.

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As You Wish

I. Cessation of Freedom

* * *

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_

She stared at her friend. She knew something was wrong. She absolutely, positively knew something was wrong the moment Sango had invited her out to lunch---and offered to pay in a sugary, sweet voice. For one, Sango never offered to pay with an angelic voice and second, the overly saccharine smile she greeted Kagome with was enough to set off major warning bells in Kagome's mind.

_Run. _

That was what her mind told her.

_Run fast. _

That was her second thought. It sounded unusually tempting and her gaze flickered over to the open door. It wasn't too late…she could still make it. All she had to do was turn around and walk slowly and carefully away from Sango before her cousin said anything...

"Hey, Kagome. Sit down."

Too late.

Sango shot her a syrupy smile and motioned with a graceful flick of her wrist for Kagome to take a seat.

Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she walked over to the table, seating herself comfortably on a cushion as she looked at her friend. She was about to open her mouth to ask Sango why she had asked Kagome to eat with her so suddenly, but the waitress came in.

"What would you like?" the waitress asked pleasantly, taking out a notebook and pen.

Kagome opened the menu on her table to the drinks. Sango might be rich and afford a tatami room with expensive food, but Kagome certainly didn't own a successful extermination business. Trying to find a job and rather tight on money, she opted to go for the simple beverage. "Iced tea with lemon please," she ordered, and the waitress smiled at her as she picked up the menu.

"And you, miss?" She gazed amiably at Sango, who glanced up over at Kagome with shifty magenta orbs before answering.

"I'll like two bowls of oden…and an order of nabe. Just water for me," Kagome heard her friend reply, and more warning bells sounded off in her head. She was ordering oden, not that Kagome was complaining, and nabe, which was too much for two people to eat. Either she was spoiling Kagome, which Kagome doubted, or she had an ulterior motive…

Definitely an ulterior motive.

The waitress smiled again as she took Sango's order and exited, sliding the door shut behind her. The room became silent and Kagome narrowed her eyes again. Suspicious…very suspicious…

"Kagome…you know I've been a close friend to Inuyasha for a long time…right?" Sango asked, mindful as to not make any eye contact with her friend. She decided to stare at a decorative fan on the wall.

Well, we were going somewhere. But why she decided to talk about the subject of Inuyasha was beyond Kagome's comprehension. After all, she knew Kagome absolutely disliked men like Inuyasha. Not only was he rich, famous, had girls hanging off his arms, but he was also extremely arrogant and conceited. He was the type of guy who would use his status as an advantage and his 'looks' to get what he wanted. Kagome never met the man personally, but she knew Sango was a close friend to him anyway.

Kagome noticed Sango had those shifty eyes again, darting back and forth between her friend and the fan. The wheels in her head slowly began to turn…_very_ slowly…

"Well, I have something to ask of you…" Sango muttered under her breath, a slow red flush appearing on her cheeks.

Kagome stared intently. _This doesn't sound good… _

Smacking her two palms together in front of her, Sango squeezed her eyes shut as she got ready for her tirade. "You see, I lost a bet to him a while ago and now I owe him a lot of money. Problem is, I can't pay back and he's not exactly the forgive and forget type…" Sango trailed off, not daring to gaze up at Kagome's reaction.

"So…?" Sango heard Kagome ask.

Sango looked hesitant for a moment…thinking back to what Inuyasha had told her yesterday.

---

_"Inuyasha, please? I don't have that much money! I can't pay you!" Sango whined over the phone, chewing nervously on her lower lip. _

_"You're **rich, **Sango! I know you can pay me," the voice growled over the line, sounding rather angry. _

_"I can't, you idiot! I can't just go up to my parents and ask 'Dad, can I borrow five hundred thousand yen because I lost a bet to a friend?' Our family might own a profitable extermination company, but they aren't crazy enough to just give five hundred thousand yen away!" Sango half-screamed, taking in deep breaths and trying to control her ire and frustration. _

_"Well, I'm not about to just let it slide. It's not my fault you betted on whether Miroku would chase after that particular maid out of fifty others. I told you he would! But you wouldn't believe me. So now you pay the price." Inuyasha snorted over the line._

_Sango wished she could slowly and painfully wring the living daylights out of her friend. "It was just a simple bet, Inuyasha! Can't you forget about it?"_

_"I don't forgive and forget, Sango." _

_Sango took her anger out on a plush doll she managed to get her hands on. She hoped the head would pop off like in those movies, but it stayed tight on. She continued by dropping it on the ground and gave it a good thorough kick, almost imagining it to be a certain pervert. "Fine! I can't pay the five hundred thousand, so give me an alternate way to repay you." _

_There was a silence over the line, before Inuyasha muttered, "Hold on, please." _

_Sango's eyes started twitching as some rather girly giggles were heard on the other end of the phone. Holding the telephone in front of her, she regarded it with a look of disgust. "Inuyasha! Get your sad ass back on the phone!" she screamed, hoping her friend would put down his 'play thing' for a moment and listen to her. _

_"Come back later, darling," a deep masculine voice teased in the background, and Sango could feel the twitch above her left eye begin again. _

_Then there was a shuffle as Inuyasha grudgingly replied, "Sorry, I was trying to get rid of unwanted baggage." _

_Sango rolled her eyes. That man was a playboy, and she knew he considered most women as only 'play things.' If it wasn't because Sango had punched him rather hard in the nose when he had first met her and tried to make a move on her, he would not have actually even considered her with any amount of respect. _

_"You know what I want, Sango?" he muttered resentfully over the line. _

_Sango thought carefully before drawling a wary, "What…?" _

_"I need a girl who doesn't like me for my money and fame. I need a girl who hates me. I need a damn girl who's my slave but would not like being my slave at all." _

_Sango opened her eyes wide, even though she knew Inuyasha couldn't see her over the phone. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?" she asked incredulously. "Did you finally snap under all those girls? Are you sure you're Inuyasha? You're telling me, you want a girl who **hates **you, but is forced to **be **with you? That's...kinky!" _

_There was a light chuckle over the line. "I just want to meet all kinds of women in this world."_

_Sango stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Men…" she mumbled over the line. _

_There were more chuckles. "Well, Sango, I've decided your substitute consequences. I want a girl who hates me, but will be my slave for two weeks. That's fun…If you can find someone like that, I'll forget about the five hundred thousand yen."_

_Sango scowled. "It would be so simple as to just refuse your demands." It was obvious Inuyasha didn't really care and had just made up the offer in the amount of time it took him to add 1 and 2 together._

_"You don't want to do that, Sango…or you know, I might 'accidentally' tell Miroku a little secret of yours…"_

_Sango's magenta eyes widened in disbelief. "You low, sneaky bastard!" _

_"Thank you." _

_---_

Sango's right eye developed that annoying tick once more,as she gently gazed over at Kagome. Her friend was looking intently at her with those wide, azure, innocent eyes and Sango nearly flinched at what she knew she was asking of her. "Kagome…since I can't pay him five hundred thousand yen…he needs a, umm…personal… 'slave'…for…err, two weeks…and he needs one who hates him…"

Kagome's eyes widened in horror as she slowly realized what Sango was asking her.

"And…well…since you're the only girl I know who hates him…"

"No."

"But!"

"No."

"Kago---"

"No!"

"Pleassse?"

"Nooo!"

Sango looked pleadingly at Kagome, her eyebrows coming together in frustration. "I really can't pay him five hundred thousand yen! And if I don't find someone for him, he's going to tell…_him…_and I don't want _him _knowing…because if _he _knows then _he _will never let me live up to _him _knowing I like _him! _Please, Kagome! As my best friend, please!"

"Sango! You're asking me to be his _slave. _If you haven't noticed, that kind of practice was only seen hundreds of years ago! This is cruel and unusual punishment! You can't force me to be his…_slave."_ Kagome spat out the word 'slave' as if it was a piece of bitter lemon on her tongue.

"It happens…a lot…nowadays…" Sango tried to convince, remembering the time Kohaku had forced _her _to be his slave for a day because she had accidentally broken his game...but luckily, he only made her clean the dishes and then forgot about it.

"It does not!" Kagome replied huffily, lines appearing into a frown.

Sango was getting desperate as she gazed at Kagome with mixed emotions in her eyes. "I know it's hard for you, but please, do this for me? Please, Kagome? He won't force you to do much…and if he so much as breathes the words 'Get in bed' you can punch his lights out, or I can punch his lights out, or we can both simultaneously punch his lights out! And!---He said you can live at his house for those two weeks, so think about it! You get to live with '_the _most hottest man in Tokyo' or so they say in those magazines."

Kagome's frown lessened a bit. "Some of those magazines talk about celebrities as if they're gay...so I doubt Inuyasha is, quote, '_the _hottest man in Tokyo.' For lord's sake, he's as bad as _him…_why do you like _him_, anyway!?"

Sango flushed crimson. "That's not our main concern! Our main concern, Kagome, is whether you'll do this for your best friend in the whole wide world because if you do, she'll love you and pamper you with oden whenever you like."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. Very tempting…very, _very _tempting…

Sango smiled innocently. "And remember, you can tell your other friends you got to live in the same house as _'the _hottest man in Tokyo' for two whole weeks!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes even more. "Is he as bad as the magazines make him out to be?"

Sango's eyes widened. "Of course not! You said so yourself…those magazines talk about celebrities as if they're gay, so they _must _be lying." _Inuyasha's much worse at times anyway…_

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "But Jakotsu _is _gay," she answered matter-of-factly, referring to the superstar who had recently announced he was gay and single. What a life those famous people led…

"Well, that's just him," Sango mumbled, waving her hands in front of her nonchalantly. "I only asked you because you're special! You can resist all his seducing…all his looks…I bet you aren't afraid to insult him…you can help a friend in need…and you get to spend time in one of '_the _most chic houses' in Tokyo."

Kagome was silent as the waitress returned with their orders, putting the iced tea with lemon in front of Kagome and the glass of water in front of Sango. Then she placed the two bowls of oden on the table and brought down the heavenly nabe…steaming hot with all sorts of meat, seafood, etc…

Kagome squirmed uncomfortably as she smelled the delicious aroma of the food while the waitress smiled and left again, leaving the two girls in their silence and cuisine. A sneaky, devious grin graced Sango's features.

"I'll take you here to eat as much as you want," she finally offered, and saw Kagome cringe at the offer. Being Kagome's best friend was an advantage…Sango knew all of Kagome's weaknesses that way.

"Fine. I'll do it," Kagome murmured, locking an angry gaze with Sango who looked like a little kid being given a sack full of candy. "But like you said, any perverted orders from him and I'm killing 'Little Inu.'"

Sango nodded happily. "Of course, Kagome. Of course." Whipping out a cell phone from her purse, she quickly dialed Inuyasha's number, finally connecting with Inuyasha's secretary.

"Inuyasha, please. Tell him this is Sango and I've got him the perfect girl."

Inuyasha's golden gaze narrowed in skepticism. "Already?" he asked Sango over the phone.

"Yes, Inuyasha! I finally got her to agree. Don't worry, she's happy to be your slave for two weeks."

_"I am not!" _Inuyasha heard another girl's voice scream over the line.

"Anyway, she hates you, just to let you know that…"

"_Essentially, yes, that's true."_

"Ignore her. She's just in an unhappy mood. Anyway, I told her she'll be moving in with you at your place…Is that okay with you?"

Inuyasha smirked as he heard screams in the background. Feisty…he liked that. "Yea, what's her address? I'll tell Myouga to go pick her up in the ride later."

Sango faltered over the line, trying to remember her best friend's address. "Why yes…it's 1302 Nikko Drive, Apt #B, downstairs. I forgot the rest, but I'm sure you'll find it."

"_I'm having second thoughts, Sango..."_

"Don't touch her, Inuyasha. She's my best friend, got it?" Sango whispered gravely to the man over the line. "I know this is all a fun game to you…but remember, don't you go too far with a game or it'll backfire on you."

Inuyasha grinned widely, turning around in his chair and staring out at the morning sun. "Don't worry, Sango. I'll only worry if she falls for _me…_but I heard her screaming she hates me, so I don't expect too much to be happening…other than myself finding this all amusing."

"How can you be my friend?" Sango mumbled in exasperation.

"Because I'm a low, sneaky bastard…remember?"

"Agreed."

Inuyasha smiled, but was quickly cut short as his secretary suddenly said, "Mr. Kitao, urgent call on line two."

"Sango, I got to go, okay?"

"Oh okay, well yea, don't forget about Kagome. Her name is Higurashi Kagome. Don't forget!"

Inuyasha smirked as he bid his farewells to his long-time friend, answering the 'urgent' call on line two with a tap of his finger.

_Kagome…eh? It's certainly going to be interesting…_

* * *

A/N: Inuyasha seems like such a cocky ass right now, but wasn't he like that in the beginning of the series? And as with theseries…Kagome will change it…ne? This is going to be interesting…isn't it? Instead of Kagome controlling Inuyasha with a single word…now it's the other way around with Inuyasha controlling Kagome as a modern slave. ;) The prospect of this plot is endless…

P.S. Five hundred thousand yen (500,000) is ROUGHLY around 5000 dollars...I'm guessing. Anyone know the exact?


	2. Meet Your Match

**Author's Notes: **This isn't modern Tokyo by the way---well yes it is, but not the human Tokyo...yea yea, you get what I mean.

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As You Wish

II. Meet Your Match

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She glared at Sango, and she glared at her long and hard. Kagome wasn't sure if Sango knew she was glaring at her, but she had been ever since they left the restaurant and went to Kagome's apartment to pack everything. Right now, Kagome was beyond disturbed. She was _highly disturbed. _She was ready to just jump on Sango and strangle the life out of her, or at least that was what her mind was telling her to do.

Any other girl would be so happy they would get a heart attack.

But Kagome was not about to get a heart attack because she was…_not _happy.

Yes, she was trying to find the highlights of her…'vacation' and she knew she had landed with a 'job' millions of other fangirls would murder her in cold blood for. She was staying in 'the most chic house' with 'the most hottest man in Tokyo' for two whole weeks.

Sounds like a dream.

But in actuality, it was a living nightmare.

The problems were she knew Inuyasha wasn't human, nor was he demon, because the magazines often stressed he was a hanyou---a very hot hanyou, but a hanyou nonetheless. He was known to have a very dangerous temper when he didn't get things his way and was of course, a womanizer.

She didn't find that surprising.

Famous and rich men were usually womanizers after all. Kagome didn't know whether it was because they were spoiled since they were small, usually got things their way, or couldn't resist their hormones when they had girls piling at their feet. Maybe it was all three, but it didn't matter to her.

She, Higurashi Kagome, would not fall for Kitao Inuyasha, because she would not succumb to his sexual desires, no matter how much sexual pressure he put on her. She would do this for Sango…

Speaking of Sango, she was watching the girl quickly putting clothes in a duffel bag. She would do this for her best friend…but it would be oh so simple to just strangle her best friend, hide her body in the backyard, and leave it at that. Why her? Why did Sango have to make a bet and lose? The whole idea was to win and if it's uncertain, then don't base the bet on something you couldn't give if you lose. And why was Kagome the one who was being the innocent victim for Sango? Something definitely didn't sound right…it must be a conspiracy…

"When did you meet Inuyasha anyway?" Kagome suddenly asked Sango out of the blue and the girl jumped a bit before gazing over her shoulders at Kagome who seemed neutral.

"I met him in high school. Miroku, he and I were best friends…since you know, you didn't go to the same high school as us…and then the three of us split up during college…that was when I met you…and you met Miroku…and Inuyasha went to another more prominent college, but Miroku and I kept in touch with Inuyasha. Well, it was simple for Miroku, they live together."

"Oh yea…I almost forgot those two lived together."

"You never visited Miroku's house, huh? I have and those two really have style, although most magazines just refer to the house as Inuyasha's."

Kagome shrugged. She really didn't care whether Inuyasha and Miroku lived together or not…for all she really cared, they could be eunuchs together. "How old is Inuyasha?"

Sango looked even more surprised. Was Kagome actually interested…?

"He's the same age as Miroku and I. He's 24. Don't worry, you might be 23, but he'll treat you all the same" Sango teased lightly, although she knew Kagome didn't care that she was one year younger than mostly everyone.

"You won't find your older age a benefit when we hit 40 and I'm 39..." Kagome muttered under her breath and took out a knee-length white skirt and a plain pale yellow t-shirt.

Sango turned her gaze away to allow Kagome some privacy as she changed. She continued talking. "Don't worry, even if he's a hanyou, he's a good little hanyou." _Very good and thoroughly corrupted little hanyou..._

"Why should I worry? I'm used to living around demons." Kagome's voice sounded muffled. "It's not like he'll kill me and get away with it."

Sango chuckled. "If it wasn't for the law passed by the Youkai Department of Protection Against Humans all those years ago, killing you _would _be rather legal…By the way, did you know Inuyasha's brother was recently voted as the Youkai Minister of the Youkai Ministry?"

"Inuyasha's _brother?"_ Kagome asked in shock, remembering a magazine article on Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru, a while ago. She vaguely remembered something about a reporter joking that Sesshoumaru might contain a birth defect and could pass for a woman...hmm. "Doesn't he hate humans?"

"Yea, that's what we all thought, but then his wife and him adopted a human child a while ago. However, why two full-blooded youkai would adopt a human child is way beyond my mind's comprehension…" Sango chatted, folding the last shirt and stuffing it in the duffel bag.

"But when did this voting thing happen?"

Sango stared at her best friend in disbelief. "He was voted as the Minister about a month or so ago. Where were you? It was the most popular news circling around Tokyo…"

"I was trying to find a job," Kagome muttered darkly. "I'm _still _trying to find a job," she added as an afterthought.

Sango smiled. "Oh don't worry, if you really need money, I'm sure Miroku or I can help you out."

"You can help me out by just paying Inuyasha that five hundred thousand yen."

"Sorry. No can do."

Kagome frowned more and went to stand in front of the vanity mirror, making sure she looked okay. "But isn't Inuyasha working at their family company? Why isn't his brother doing that but mingling with the Youkai Ministry?"

Sango laughed, as she lifted the heavy duffel bag onto the bed and looked at Kagome with her fists on her hips. "Knowing Sesshoumaru, he likes the idea of controlling people. Everyone wanted him to take up the job anyway. Ruthless, cold and stoic. Perfect. I also assume Sesshoumaru doesn't feel like battling for succession over their father's position once he retires."

"Inuyasha wouldn't make a good successor of the Kitao Corporation. It'll end up in ruins...much like when I try to make pancakes..." Kagome answered, as she brushed her hair and held it up in a long ponytail, securing it with a white hair tie.

"Don't underestimate him, Kagome," Sango retorted as she and Kagome started heaving the duffel bag to the door. "He might be well-known as a womanizer, but he's as brutal as his brother when it comes to business."

"Mm…sure...yea..." Kagome mumbled.

"You shouldn't jud---" Sango was cut off when the doorbell rung. Looking at Kagome who only raised an eyebrow, she sighed and went to the door, looking through the peephole and seeing Inuyasha's driver, Myouga.

Opening the door, she smiled at the old man, trying not to laugh when she saw the man's head was bald now. The last time she saw him, he still had a little tuff of hair on the top of his head…now even that was gone. "Good evening, Myouga."

The short man shot a smile at the taller woman. "Hello, Sango. It's nice to see you again. Where is Miss. Kagome?"

"_Sango...is there any possibility Inuyasha is a eunuch?" _

Sango continued smiling, pretending not to hear anything behind her. "She's having some problems right now. We'll be out in a second."

The short driver nodded and turned to go back to the sports car Inuyasha had instructed him to drive when picking up his 'slave.' Sango stared after him. Something was wrong with the picture of a sports car and a midget driver…

"Kagome!Come on, let's go...oh, andInuyasha isn't a eunuch..." she called out, and there were some frustrated mutters before Kagome appeared, dragging behind her a duffel bag very well the size of her body.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to live two weeks with the most wanted bachelor and his best friend. I think my heart just stopped beating," Kagome grumbled, her voice laced with obvious sarcasm as she dramatically laid a hand over her heart. "You owe me so much."

Sango nodded nonchalantly before grabbing the other end of the duffel bag and dragging it out towards the sports car. Myouga hurried to open the trunk and when the two girls arrived around the backside of the car, they heaved together and threw the bag into the trunk. Maybe it was Sango's imagination, but she thought she saw the car dip back a bit---just a bit. She hadn't thought she had packed so much…

"Coming, Sango?" Kagome asked when Myouga opened the door for her to get in.

Sango shook her head. "Nah, have fun. I'll call Miroku and tell him to meet you there or something. I got to go anyway. Good luck, Kag!" Sango waved merrily to her best friend as Kagome shot her another menacing glare before being forced into the car. She didn't even have time to say goodbye back to Sango before Myouga toddled over to the driver's side and got in.

Sango smiled and continued waving on the sidewalk as Myouga started to move out of the driveway. She slowly and carefully began to take out her cell phone and when she was sure Kagome was far enough, she dialed Miroku's number, which she had remembered by heart.

"Miroku? Yea, bird is out of the cage. Flying towards the dog and you. Everything ready over there? Alright, Operation Get Together is underway…---hey, _you _came up with that stupid name!"

---

Kagome opened her eyes wide as she entered the rich neighborhood, passing the gates and instantly seeing gigantic 'houses.' She could even see security patrolling some of the houses and knew this part of Tokyo was not for the poor or average people to roam through. It was only comfortable for those almost nauseatingly rich and had so much money, they could give as much away to charity or spend it all on booze and rot their carcasses away.

She frowned when she spotted a distant, gorgeous, white _mansion _built to perfection and almost isolated from other 'houses.' Myouga turned into a road leading to that mansion, which also led to the main gates. The main gates made Kagome gulp because the gateway consisted of ten feet brick walls complete with barbed wires on top. Myouga stopped next to a little hut built right next to the gate and Kagome saw numerous youkai security guards. Myouga flashed them his employer ID card and one of the guards grunted to allow them to pass.

Kagome swallowed again as Myouga drove down the long stretch of road leading to the beautiful mansion. _That _was Inuyasha's house...? She didn't know how magazine reporters could even get through security to dub the mansion 'the most chic house in Tokyo' because the gates back there seemed impenetrable.

"Miss. Kagome, welcome to Inuyasha's house." Myouga greeted after they had travelled the road, pulling up in front of the mansion.

"Kagome!" someone called from the top of the steps, and Kagome squinted to see who was waving. Kagome realized the person was Miroku when she saw the lecherous grin on his face. She groaned. Wow…what a one man welcoming committee.

Myouga opened his door to go to the trunk in order to get Kagome's things, while Kagome went out to greet Miroku who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Baby Kag! I haven't seen you in a while!" the man said in joy and swept the reluctant girl up in a bear hug.

"Don't call me that..." Kagome mumbled as she felt Miroku lift her off the ground as Myouga put her luggage next to them and bid her farewell, most likely driving the sports car to the garage.

Miroku set her down and grinned at the frown gracing 'Baby Kag's face. "Aww…no big hello?" he asked, as he picked up her duffel bag, scowling at the unnatural weight.

"No." Kagome replied, grudgingly following the man. "Stop treating me like I'm your little sister. I'm only one year younger than you."

Miroku flashed one of his most charming smiles to his friend, but Kagome didn't look amused and was unaffected by the charisma. What did Sango see in this three-in-one: walking, talking, groping machine?

"That's why you're my baby sister," Miroku teased, ignoring the slit-eyed look Kagome was giving him. The day she was his biological sister was the day dogs could fly.

"Yea…sure…" she mumbled sarcastically before watching Miroku bring out a chain of keys and stick one into the main door's key hole instead of ringing the doorbell. It was hard to imagine Miroku, one of her best friends, living in a mansion like this. She had been with the man almost her whole college life, yet at college, he acted like a normal human being with a roaming hand instead of a prominent figure at Inuyasha's company.

She could definitely see why Inuyasha would live with Miroku though, and it wasn't because they were best friends. "Womanizer…" she hacked under her breath, but Miroku didn't make any moves to show he heard. Instead, he only shot her another smile.

"Welcome to the best two weeks of your life," Miroku said in an extravagant voice, opening the door wide to show Kagome her first sight of how rich people lived.

Her mouth dropped as she slowly took one step inside. From outside, it had looked so serene and tranquil, but when she took that one single step inside… "Oh my god…Miroku…it's beautiful…do you think anyone would notice if I killed you and pretended to be a man...?" Kagome whispered breathlessly, her eyes wide as she eyed the hallway.

She had expected a house filled with chandeliers and Victorian styled lamps, but what she saw was the essence of modern flair. There was a long carpet checker-styled leading from the doorway to the back of the long hall, where Kagome could see a set of stylish stairs leading to the second floor. Right behind the stairs were long, tall windows showing the 'outdoor room' of the whole estate, which included a swimming pool which Kagome didn't doubt was heated, a Jacuzzi, and numerous other delights---all enclosed in a room made of glass, so that the sun could shine through the glass ceiling on a hot day, but kept out the rain on a cold day.

The walls of the halls were decorated with paintings of the strangest things, varying from woman bodies---gee, she wondered why---to paintings of ramen cups. Lamp lights of different colors hung from the ceiling at different lengths and Kagome stared up entranced at them.

She looked like a dead fish as she stared at all the interesting things that captured her attention. She was about to run into the nearest room closest to her, squealing like an elementary kid, but Miroku held her back gently.

"You have two weeks to figure out everything about this place. For now, how about you go upstairs and choose a room? We have about five or six spare, so choose whichever one with the décor you like most and it's yours." He waved to a butler walking around and the man walked over, bowing slightly to Miroku.

"Yes, Miroku?" the light-brown haired man asked, slowly gazing over at Kagome who was giving the man a scrutinizing look.

"This is Inuyasha's new maid, Kagome. Kagome, this is the butler, Hojo." The two smiled at each other pleasantly before Miroku continued. "Hojo, Miss. Kagome is staying with Inuyasha for two weeks. She's our special guest too, so don't treat her normally." He handed the butler Kagome's duffel bag, which Hojo strained to keep holding. "Take her things upstairs and help her choose a room to stay in. I expect Inuyasha is busy in his room?" He shot Hojo a meaningful glare.

Hojo only nodded, still smiling at Kagome, who by now was feeling tense. "This way, m'lady Kagome." He bowed and directed her to the stairs, while Kagome shot Miroku a nervous glance over her shoulders.

Miroku only smiled as she walked up the stairs. "Try to have fun these two weeks, Kagome! You might be Inuyasha's…maid…but he needs a good kick in the ass by someone who could care less any day." Miroku ignored the death glare Kagome gave him before she disappeared upstairs with the butler.

When she was gone, he chuckled low in his throat.

Oh yes…he was such a smart, and not to mention sexy, man. It was perfect, the whole plan was _perfect_. He had not been sure whether it would work in the beginning, but it only worked out faultlessly in the end.

He _did _think Inuyasha needed to have more respect for women, other than calling, kissing them senseless, respect. (hypocrite...dare say?) So…he had thought _'And Kagome needs a man…_' and then it all fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

It had been so easy, to brainwash---or what he'd like to think he did---Inuyasha with yearnings for a woman who was hard to get. At first, Inuyasha had said he didn't care and stormed out of the room, but he knew Inuyasha fell for it, hook, line, and sinker, the moment he heard Inuyasha ask his current girlfriend then "Why didn't you resist me when I first met you?"

So in the meanwhile, when Sango came to visit, he talked to the woman and found out she was in need of money. He told her she should make a bet with Inuyasha, who he assured would be all too willing, and bet five hundred thousand yen. Miroku told Sango to make the bet on which maid he would grope next---he wasn't sure why her eyes started twitching then---Then, he told Sango Inuyasha would make the bet that he would chase after a particular maid and he pointed out to her a pretty one named Fumi.

He assured Sango he would not, so that Sango could win and get the money, and she obliged in the end.

Then, the evil little boy went to Inuyasha and told him to make a bet with Sango, which he assured Inuyasha the woman would lose, and place the bet on which maid Miroku would chase/grope next. He told Inuyasha it would be Fumi.

Phase One: Completed.

So when the full cast of fifty maids came for the once-a-month cleaning session, he watched stealthily as Sango proposed the bet to Inuyasha who only agreed. Miroku went for Fumi like a magnet.

There was a gigantic "HA. YOU LOSE, SANGO!" and then he saw Sango shooting him a dirty look, silently asking Miroku, "Why?!"

He acted ashamed, but was only chuckling evilly in his head.

Phase Two: Completed.

After enduring many screams, slaps and constant "How can I pay Inuyasha when I don't have any money you peanut brained...good for nothing thing!" from Sango later, he told the girl that he was sorry and was only acting on instinct. Then he pretended he thought of an alternative option, which included a substitute result by telling her he would tell Inuyasha to change the five hundred thousand yen to getting Sango to find a woman that would resist Inuyasha.

Miroku knew it was dangerous to let any information leak, but when he told Sango to somehow get Kagome to agree, he assured Sango that Kagome and Inuyasha would make the perfect couple. Pressing a few more buttons, he got Sango to consent again.

So all he had to do was get Inuyasha to change the consequences. It was simply easy. All he had to do was stalk Inuyasha for a whole day, and constantly say "You never get resistance in a girl, huh? You know, Sango can't pay the five hundred thousand yen back so why not make her go find a reluctant girl for you? Just imagine an unwilling girl slave for two weeks…you like? Yes? Yes?"

It just kept falling into place far too effortlessly.

In the end, Inuyasha _did _propose the alternate option to Sango and Sango _did _get Kagome to agree, and he knew he was the mastermind behind all this. Sango was his current partner-in-crime in trying to get those two together, but even she didn't know the whole intelligence _he_ boasted.

Final Phase: Completed.

No one would ever know about this…

Kagome and Inuyasha would meet their match and fall in love eventually, marry in absolute ecstacy like in those movies, and then complete their family with twenty kids screaming 'Uncle Miroku!'…

And he would live happy for the other half of his life knowing he got two of his best friends together…

He laughed out loud as he made his way to the conference room where he would get some privacy. Time to continue planning Operation Get Together with Sango over the phone…Yes...soon...'Uncle Miroku!'...and he would dote them with chocolate and candy...and he would teach the younger generations how to be a holy man such as himself...

He knew…

The whole plan was faultless…

It wouldn't go wrong. And in the end…

He was just too clever and blessed for his own good.

---

Kagome felt her face hurting. She had chosen her dream room and it was perfect. _Absolutely perfect. _

She squealed happily as she grabbed the incredibly fluffy, downy pillow and hugged it to her chest. She had checked all the rooms before, and this one was the one that stood out to her the most---not to mention it was enormous. It was bathed in shades of baby blue, dark blue, white and yellow. It was definitely an odd combination of colors, but the decorator definitely put a new meaning to the word 'eccentric.'

She had chosen the room overlooking the 'extra room' with the swimming pool and Jacuzzi. If there wasn't a glass ceiling there, Kagome had wondered whether she could have dived into the pool from the second story. Classified: definitely dangerous, but it would be nice to go home and say she dived into a pool from her room.

Her bed had white sheets adorned with pale blue hibiscus flowers. She had more pillows than she had pairs of shoes...and Kagome had lots of shoes. There was also a half dark blue and half yellow sofa situated plop next to the bed, which was facing a huge flat screen TV.

Eight different colored star-shaped lamps hung from the ceiling in a swirling pattern. Directly opposite of her bed, the wall was decorated with pots of white and yellow fake flowers and reminded Kagome of a rip off Hawaiian décor. She also had a walk-in wardrobe, which was empty, but Kagome didn't care at all---it made her feel happy just by having one.

If her bedroom wasn't enough, her bathroom made her feel like she had been thrown right in the middle of the ocean. The walls were decorated with semi-transparent light blue tiles and the whole room had a toilet, shower and hot tub. Although Hojo had insisted it was small, she was sure half her apartment could fit in her 'small' bathroom. If this bathroom could be considered 'small', her apartment was a sad excuse of a cardboard box.

Kagome jumped up from her soft bed and went over to the windows, pushing the pale blue curtains aside. The sun shone in and she had to raise a hand in front of her face as she stared down at the pool. She twitched her nose distastefully when she saw two people making out in the water, the woman looking scantily clothed in a bikini.

"Inuyasha…" The name rolled off her tongue in revulsion. "You disgusting playboy," she muttered before walking huffily away from the sight.

Deciding to go downstairs to begin her exploration of the mansion, she pushed Inuyasha into the corner of her mind and skipped out the door, making her way to the stairs.

The house was gigantic and she felt strange for living in it for two weeks, especially as a 'slave.' The longer she resisted seeing her 'master,' the better it was, at least in her opinion. Maybe she could even avoid seeing him for the whole two weeks and complete her duty, freeing Sango from her bet consequences. Well, it was worth trying.

Skipping gently towards what she assumed was the living room, she looked amused when she went in. On one side of the wall, there was almost what looked like a minimized movie theaters screen, and love seats, sofas, couches and other seating furniture were placed facing it. She walked into the room, her socks sinking into the carpet as she eyed the gigantic TV screen.

Rich people…if she had _this _in her old, mediocre excuse of an apartment, she wondered if it would even fit. She doubted it. She would have to take the TV screen apart in at least ten pieces and put them back together…

She ran a hand over the couch and realized the material was _soft. _Jumping over the couch, she landed in its cushions and immediately understood what people meant by heaven on earth. The couch was absolutely…_comfortable_…

She giggled as she grabbed one of the squashy pillows and hugged it. Buying one of these couches would probably cost her half a month of her former salary, maybe even a full month's. Why couldn't she have been born rich? She wouldn't mind living the life of the rich and famous…minus the onslaught of bills and she would have the perfect life.

She saw a futuristic-looking object on the coffee table and she guessed it was the remote control. Damn…they even had to make their controls look expensive. Pressing the buttons cautiously, she finally figured how to work the thing and then thought about how many different channels a rich person's TV could have.

Kagome didn't waste another moment as she started flicking through the channels, engrossed in how perfect everything looked on the screen.

Okay, so she was slowly forgiving Sango. Slowly. This wasn't too bad…was it? Two weeks living in a dream house with a swimming pool, perfect room and big screen TV? She could live like this.

Eyeing the bowl of fruits on the table warily, she decided they would never notice one missing. It was practically talking to her anyway. She looked out the door to make sure Miroku wasn't stalking the foyer before consciously reaching out for an orange.

"You're fired."

Kagome jumped almost out of her skin at the voice. Turning her head around so fast and nearly giving herself whiplash, Kagome's eyes widened when she saw a livid Inuyasha standing by the entrance to the living room. She quickly turned off the TV. Hadn't she looked there seconds before she reached for the delicious, yummy, round orange…?

Ahh…wait...damn, she was caught.

"Well, that suits me perfectly fine. Gone in the same hour I came...must be a record." Kagome waved her hands nonchalantly as she shot off the couch, momentarily missing how comfy it had been.

Inuyasha's eyebrows came together in a deep frown as he blocked her exit. "Why weren't you cleaning?"

Kagome looked at him in confusion. Clean? She hadn't even been ordered to do anything yet, so why would he assume she should be…oh.

"I'm not a maid, Mister." Kagome crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a hard glare. She really didn't think her glare was all too stiff though, considering how her traitorous eyes were slowly ogling at his half wet and naked body, stopping at the towel wrapped around his waist. Oh he had a nice body...

She slapped herself mentally, before blushing hotly. She forced her eyes to move further up to meet with his frown, which had darkened considerably.

"Then why the hell are you in my house? I'll report you for your insolence," he said angrily, keeping the tense eye contact with the girl who seemed a head shorter than him.

Kagome laughed with sarcasm laced in her voice. She shot him a mocking glance before taking a step back. "Don't tell me you already forgot me…_master."_

There was a stressed moment as the two eyed each other, vaguely made out emotions appearing in both azure and amber. It only took Inuyasha a heartbeat to understand what she meant though. The frown still on the hanyou's face as he stepped towards Kagome, she stepped back and eyed him warily.

"So you're the slave?" he whispered, in what Kagome thought he thought was a seductively evil tone. She was sure she heard more convincing seductively evil voices from her fat cat Buyo than this sad excuse of a playboy's 'evil' seduction. It only made her feel like throwing up though considering how her stomach churned uncomfortably at how he kept on advancing towards her. Seduction...yea...if this was seduction, Buyo was thin...

"Preferably named Kagome," she answered carefully, continuing to step back every time he took a step forwards.

"Mm." The hanyou smirked darkly as his eyes roamed down every part of Kagome's body. The girl never felt more disgusted and was contemplating whether she should slap him for his impudence. How dare he treat her like some prostitute on the street! How dare he even look at her with those playboy eyes of his!

"Stop staring!"

He didn't seem to hear her as he backed her to a wall, with her raising her hands to fend off the man. She swore on her love of oden, if that womanizer tried one more move on her, she would not hold back from punching him---even if he could sue her. She had her dignity and this man was certainly not going to ruin it. The next comment however, got her nearly choking on her own spit.

"What was Sango thinking when she chose you...you're ugly."

Kagome's mouth dropped as her cobalt eyes widened, the words he had just said slowly sinking into her mind. Did he…Did that jerk…

Wait...was that a _finger _running down her arm?

"You're definitely fatter than the model back at the pool…"

That was definitely stepping over the line.

Did he just call her _fat_?

And that _finger…_that _nasty_ little finger drawing circles on her arm…and hurting her.

"You're definitely not as showy either, your figure is not as slim and your breasts are kind of small…"

That cut it.

He did _not _just say that.

That man had _no _right to insult her in such ways.

She could feel her anger rising as she snapped her furious cobalt gaze to meet amber.

"Evil bastard!"

Inuyasha never expected the welcoming punch from 'slave' Kagome.

* * *

A/N: Kagome was right when she said "it must be a conspiracy..."

Bad Inuyasha…_baddd…_he had that coming. I smell a World War 3...

In case some of you didn't understand…in a nutshell, Miroku wanted Inu & Kag together. He planned the whole thing, manipulating Sango and Inuyasha in his schemes, and got the entire plan to go his way. He thinks it's flawless.

But you can tell Miroku never heard of 'what goes around comes around.'


	3. Everything Except Me

**Author's Note: **I'll tell you where I got inspiration. I was outside, looking at the rain one day, thinking 'Inuyasha seems almost like a slave for Kagome with the prayer beads and all…lucky for the girl, it isn't the other way around…' then bada bing bada boom. It hit me like a mack truck. Then I thought 'Miroku would be the evil [but cute] schemer' and when Miroku is evil, it involves Sango and it fell into place. 

As You Wish and my all of my other stories including my plots are all © Copyrighted by Keolla. Plagiarize and I'll impale you with _the stick._

As You Wish

III. Everything Except Me

_If there's a prize for rotten judgment  
I guess I've already won that  
No man is worth the aggravation  
That's ancient history-been there, done that!_

"Kagome…when I said 'he needs a good kick in the ass by someone who could care less any day,' I have no idea where you got 'punch him in the face!' from." 

Kagome narrowed her eyes, regarding Miroku with a wary twinkle before continuing to eat the orange in her hand. No man would stop her from getting that orange when it was calling out to her after all…especially not that man who had insulted her like no person had ever before. 

"Think about it this way, Miroku." Kagome shot him an overly saccharine smile, sarcastic sweetness dripping off it like honey. "You're hideous, you're definitely fatter than Orlando Blooms on T.V., you need to wear shorter shorts, your build is absolutely in need of improvement and Little Miro is kind of small." 

She continued smiling at him while Miroku looked utterly appalled, affronted and aggrieved---all at the same time. His grin was wiped off and he instantly retorted, "You better not mean that!" 

Kagome lifted a delicate eyebrow. "I don't mean it," she echoed, before muttering "Not much of it anyway…" under her breath. She continued nonetheless. "But when someone seriously told you that in your face, I don't think you would stay calm, but knowing you, you'll put them in a headlock before mercilessly slamming their whole body down to the ground, wrestling-style." 

_Hmm…wrestling…_Miroku contemplated her viewpoint for a moment, before nodding gently. "I see where you're getting to…and I don't really blame you for punching the hanyou in the face, but you forget...he _is _rich, he _can _sue you and he _may _be angry enough to make your next two weeks here a living hell." 

Kagome shrugged, leaning back into the crook of the couch in the living room. "He _is _rich, but the money isn't worth anything to me. He _can _sue me, but he'll get about ten dollars. He _may _be angry enough to make my next two weeks here a living hell, but don't think I won't retaliate and even the score." Kagome thought about it amusingly. Two weeks of living in heaven with the spawn of hell…it wasn't too bad. 

Miroku didn't seem to take the whole ordeal as simple as Kagome did. "He isn't just a normal person who'll yell at you and stuff. He's a _business man _too, Kagome. That means he is sneaky, intelligent---or at least I hope so---and definitely ruthless. People like him don't break people physically. People like him know how to break normal people emotionally too, and they are pretty damn good at it. Well, I _think _Inuyasha is good at it…but I still wonder sometimes…"

Kagome reached out to the coffee table for another orange, but Miroku shot her a hard glare and she sighed, retracting her hand. She happened to find it hard to resist oranges, and Miroku being the overprotective mother hen he sometimes was, wouldn't let her eat too much. Did everyone in this world think she was fat!? Where was Sango when she needed that girl…? 

"He can _try _to play mind games with me, but _I _didn't take Psychology for nothing either. Whatever he shoots at me, I'll fling it back to hit him in the eye." 

  


Miroku smiled mentally. "Are you saying you won't give up these two weeks, no matter what happens?"

Kagome looked impartial before shrugging. "I guess. I'm not leaving until I teach that man a good lesson on respect for woman…psh, just because I'm not model material…" 

Miroku smiled more. "Don't worry. Lots of the people here will support you behind the scenes for kicking his butt then…especially Ayame."

"Ayame?" Kagome asked, her eyes going wide in curiosity. 

"Our cook. Very nice wolf demon with the most wonderful buns…" 

Kagome narrowed her eyes. She was wondering just _which _buns he was talking about… "I see." 

Miroku looked innocent as he seemed to shine with a divine light, his body screaming 'pure' while Kagome sniggered under her breath, trying not to show she didn't believe in his holy man routine. "She seems to dislike Inuyasha because he usually ruins her food before she's done cooking, but I'm sure she adores him because he says she cooks like a goddess…especially when she makes her emergency ramen. Sometimes though, it just seems she wants to beat him over the head with her spatula whenever he steals her cuisines, but she's afraid of losing her job. So, I'm sure she'll support you if _you _beat him over the head with a spatula." 

Kagome rubbed her temples. "Ayame sounds like someone who'll agree with me this mansion is perfect, but with the most imperfect masters ever. When I meet her, I'll be sure to ask her for…the spatula," Kagome answered sarcastically, shooting the 'holy man' an 'Oh yea, right' look.

Miroku wiggled his eyes suggestively. "Do you _know _how many things one can do with a spatula?" he asked in a casual tone, still blinking like a baby rabbit at Kagome. 

"One thing too many," the girl replied dryly, as she brushed imaginary lint off her shoulders. "Demonstrations are unnecessary." 

Miroku opened his mouth to snap something back, but a masculine voice butted into the conversation. 

"Miss. Kagome, Inuyasha requests you see him at the pool right away." 

Kagome peeked over the coach to catch sight of Hojo, the butler she was introduced to before. She saw Miroku close his mouth instantly, and pretend to yawn as he stretched his muscles over his head. Kagome rolled her eyes. If Sango was here and saw those sinewy muscles stretching…it would be so much fun to take a picture of her and use it as blackmail…

"Now?" she asked nonchalantly, wondering whether she should see the hanyou so quickly. He might just rip her apart on sight, if the articles in those magazines she read were true. 

"Now." Hojo smiled widely, the true quality of obliviousness shining brighter and overtaking Miroku's 'holy' aura. 

Kagome scratched her chin thoughtfully before jumping off the coach, walking towards the butler and shooting Miroku a farewell gesture. "Miroku, I will not take responsibility for the actions he provokes me to perform…he's only bringing it upon himself if he thinks all women like him in this world." She smiled gently and then started talking to Hojo as he led her to where Inuyasha would be waiting. 

Miroku stood there and listened as the chattering subsided. Inuyasha wouldn't hurt her…at least not physically. He rubbed his hands together pensively, pondering what his next move in his Ultimate of all Ultimate Plans would be. If he played his cards right, those two would be together by the end of these two weeks and he himself would be well on his way to becoming an uncle. 

_And _she had said she wouldn't back down…so she wouldn't mind if he helped their 'relationship' along…now did she?

A holy man was he. 

*~*~*

She felt cautious as she walked out into daylight, the sun shining almost sickeningly joyfully down on her warm body. She brushed a strand of hair from her face before narrowing her eyes at the white head turned away from her, indicating Inuyasha was sunbathing. She hardly saw famous people sunbathing---heck, she had never met a famous person in her life ---and now, here she was, seeing the most disgusting famous person with the back of his head facing her. 

"Hello," he muttered monotonously, moving his hand up to the sunglasses on his face. He twisted his body in the chair, staring distastefully at his slave. 

She winced. One side of his jaws looked bruised and swollen and he immediately picked up the bag of ice on his lap, putting it over the injury. She was scared now. Oh, she hadn't been scared with Miroku before. But now she was terrified. If he _did_ sue her for punching him, she'd be living on the streets before she could get on her knees to beg for his forgiveness. But then again, she would never beg for a rich man's mercy…

And that man had sexually harassed her! …Kind of. Although…he'd probably get away with it. One side of her lips twisted down in antipathy as images of millions of bills flew around her, making a mountain of money as it buried her alive. She hated rich people. 

"I want lemonade right now. Get me lemonade from the kitchen," he murmured through his lips, leaning his head back on the chair as he felt the sun's ray tan his already rather well tanned body.

She stared at him, flabbergasted. Did he just _order _her to get him lemonade?! Who did he think he was to order her around like some sla---oh yes, he was her master.

Her face twitched involuntarily as she silently flipped a rude gesture behind his back. He was going to make full use of her company for the next two weeks, wasn't he? He was just going to have so much fun torturing her to death and making her clean his dirty socks. She could imagine it now…

Shuddering, she turned around and went to the kitchen. She wondered if he would smell laxative if she decided to put some in…She decided it was better not to. Demons had an acute sense of smell after all. He would force her to drink it if she denied at tampering with his drink. 

Turning into the nice kitchen, she stopped in her footsteps when she saw a woman there, humming some song as she cooked. Her red hair was tied in high pigtails, although it didn't look childish on her, but rather chic. Irises were adorned in her hair and when she turned around, Kagome noticed the woman had amazing green eyes which widened when they saw Kagome. 

"Who are you?" she questioned, turning the fire off as the ramen continued to simmer slowly. She narrowed her jade eyes and scrutinized Kagome. "If you're another fan who somehow managed to get in here, you're going to be in lots of trouble."

"No…I'm no _fan…_I'm Inuyasha's…personal _maid…_Kagome_," _she gritted out, her teeth clenched together tight. 

The lady blinked as remembrance dawned on her. "Ohh…the slave girl?" she asked, smiling gently. 

"_No, _the _maid," _Kagome insisted, knowing that probably the whole mansion by now knew of her current 'occupation.' She felt so sold. 

The woman turned back to the ramen, pouring it into a bowl---which Kagome noticed looked pricey. Stupid rich people with their rich bowls! "My name is Ayame," the woman said, turning around and grinning as she put the bowl of ramen on a tray. "Inuyasha's cook."

Kagome opened her eyes wide when she noticed she was the girl Miroku had said didn't like Inuyasha that much. Although, she had half expected the woman to be a human instead of a wolf demon."Do you hate Inuyasha?" the girl asked, watching as Ayame walked towards her with the tray. 

Ayame raised an eyebrow before looking left and right, making sure no one was listening. "He can be such a prick and pimp and in general, a pain in the ass, but he's my employer and he pays me good…if you know what I mean." Ayame beamed brightly and wiggled her eyebrows, shoving the tray into Kagome's hands. "Now since you're his slave, you wouldn't mind taking that to him."

Kagome frowned, not really wanting to serve the idiot food as well as lemonade. "Inuyasha wants lemonade as well." 

Hearing this, Ayame rolled her eyes. "So spoiled…" she muttered, before going to the fridge and taking out a carton of lemonade Kagome had never seen before in her life. She wondered if rich people really did have their own line of clothing, food brands and secret recipes. It sure seemed like it. They must have enough money to go get facials a lot too, considering how some famous women's skin always looked flawless and perfect. Scratch that. Some probably had their own facial mini shop in their villa. 

Ayame added a cup of lemonade on the tray, complete with ice, straw and a little umbrella which Kagome raised an eyebrow to. 

"He likes those annoying little things. Makes him feel like he's at paradise when he's near the pool," was Ayame's vague explanation before shoving Kagome to the door. "Now go feed him. If he's really that mean to you, just ignore him. If he does things you don't want him to, just ask me for my spatula or punch him or something. He's not that bad of a guy."

"Little do you know..." Kagome muttered under her breath as she started walking back to the pool, balancing the lunch tray in her hands. "And 'not that bad of a guy' is the biggest understatement of the year…" 

Walking towards the outdoors room, she had trouble opening the door before she decided to just use her behind. It needed its exercise anyway. Managing to open the entrance, she saw Inuyasha doing laps in the pool now. She twitched her nose disdainfully at seeing his half naked body, upper torso shining in all its tanned glory and trying to seduce her. Was everything about him trying to seduce her? No wonder so many girls couldn't resist him. 

"Idiot…" she hissed through her teeth, holding out the crystal tray with his lunch. "Your lemonade and Ayame cooked you ramen." With one hand on her hips, she waited for her 'master' to get out of the pool and take his stupid food. She hated this. 

"Put it down on the small table," he ordered snappily, pointing to a table next to the chair he had been in. She did as she was told while he got out of the pool, taking a towel and drying his hair and rubbing his body free of water. She could only roll her eyes when he glanced darkly at her from under his long lashes, thinking she couldn't see his glare. He was still mad at her? Good. 

Ambling casually over to the tray, he picked up the glass of lemonade and sniffed it, before throwing Kagome another malicious look. He held it out to her and she stiffened, wondering what he wanted her to do. Drink it and make sure she didn't poison it? Please. That was so overrated. 

As she was about to reach out for it and take a sip, (hey, she couldn't pass up the chance to get a taste of 'rich' lemonade) he only turned the cup around. Kagome watched as the drink slowly moved towards the ground, the substance pouring out of the glass. She opened her eyes wide, watching the straw and the umbrella go out with it. 

It splashed all over the ground, the ice landing near her feet. She narrowed her eyes, watching the water spread around on the concrete while he smirked smugly at her. 

"I wanted lemonade…but I wanted _fresh-squeezed lemonade…_so slave, you got the wrong thing. Now before I whip you for your impudence, go get me what I wanted." He looked at her haughtily, the conceited smirk still plain on his face.

Kagome could feel her fingers itching again as they pulsed in anger. They were longing to just reach over…grab his perfect little neck…squeeze…squeeze…and squeeze until his eyes popped out and his perfect little face turned blue. He was such a vain and snobbish bastard! He hadn't told her to get him '_fresh-squeezed' _lemonade…and what the hell is the difference!? Lemonade was lemonade. Only picky people would actually notice the difference. 

"Well?" he drawled lazily, still holding the cup upside down and towards her. His own posture even radiated complacency and Kagome yearned that the Youkai Ministry would make the murdering of hanyou legal. She would be the first to kill Inuyasha. Nice and slow. 

"Of course," she murmured through gritted teeth, swiping the glass away from his grasp. Now the cup was contaminated with his dirty germs! She couldn't help the disgusted shudder running through her body as she whipped around, stalking back to the kitchen with her head held up high. She would _not _surrender to his evil. No matter _what _he did, she would try to control her anger and not further drag their relationship down to hell. 

She rushed through the corridors, the frown still evident on her face as she neared the kitchen. 

Sulkily stomping into the room, she noticed Ayame turning a perceptive gaze over before shoving another glass in Kagome's direction. "Wha?" the girl whispered, peeking at the cup full of what surprisingly looked like lemonade. 

"He wanted '_fresh-squeezed' _lemonade, didn't he?" Ayame asked, putting the cup of juice in Kagome's hands.

"Yea," Kagome whispered breathlessly, before confusion took over. "How'd you know?" 

Ayame sighed as she turned back around to her cooking; Kagome noticed it looked surprisingly like a chocolate cake…MmM… "He did the same thing to me when I first came as a new cook. Don't worry. It's like a test. He doesn't hate you or anything." 

Kagome stared at the back of the jade-eyed girl, some perplexity still unsolved. "Even when I knocked him in the jaws the first time we met…?" 

Ayame turned around to face her with wide eyes, her chocolate cake dough forgotten. "You PUNCHED him!?" she inquired incredulously with what looked akin to admiration in her eyes. "You punched one of the richest man in Tokyo, ruined his perfect face, and you're not thrown out, sued, lost your home and being forced to live under a bridge yet!?"

Kagome nodded grimly. "Should I be scared?" 

Ayame nodded too, but it was more of a silent gesture to herself instead of an answer to Kagome's question. "He must really like you then…" she trailed off, going back to her cooking and obviously giving signs that their talk was over. 

Kagome stood there for a few moments, the words Ayame had said repeating in her head. When she finally realized what those words meant, she couldn't control another shudder running through her body. Those nasty little words gave her goosebumps, even if they weren't true. 

"I think I_ am_ scared now…" Kagome mumbled as she walked back to the pool, noticing that there were hardly any employees in the huge mansion, save for a selected few. Weren't rich men supposed to have many, many employees and even hired people to clean their toilets daily? It was something she had always thought the rich and famous had. 

Strolling casually into the pool, she noticed Inuyasha crouching by the pool, this time looking at his reflection. She frowned again. Either he was egotistical or that bruise she gave him was expanding. She hoped it was the latter. 

She went up next to him, holding the glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade down at her 'master.' He looked up when her hand appeared in front of his face, and her own azure eyes widened when she noticed that he had looked innocent in that one gaze. But then the incorruptibility was gone the next moment, replaced by a hard glare in his golden stare, and she wondered if the innocent look she had seen had really been there at all. Maybe she had just wanted to see a nice side of him and imagined the naiveté. This man was anything _but _pure. 

"Your _fresh-squeezed _lemonade, idiot_," _she said, saying his title sarcastically. His gaze turned back to the lemonade as he got up, still refusing to take the cup. She sighed out loud, thrusting it in front of his face again and hoping he'll just take his damn drink already. 

"Why do you call me that?" he asked in a low whisper, and she should have been warned, but she ignored it.

"Maybe…because you are?" she suggested, a blameless look on her face as she offered the glass of lemonade to him again. 

But instead of taking the glass, he grabbed the arm that was extended and easily pulled her to his bare chest, crushing her against him as he put his arms around her body. The glass of lemonade was hit away from the contact and fell to the ground, smashing into a thousand crystal pieces as the second blotch of lemonade began to spread. But, what worried Kagome was Inuyasha. She immediately blushed red, although she wasn't unfamiliar with contact with a male. She hadn't had many boyfriends before, but that didn't mean she hadn't had some sort of intimate relationship in her past. However, this seemed the most off beam thing happening that she would think could happen between her and a man she hated. Especially Inuyasha. 

This immediately jerked her mind awake and she raised two hands to his chest, trying to shove the man away from her. She just _knew _he was a perverted bastard! He couldn't keep his hands off her and did he really think she would succumb to his testosterone-driven actions? He better think again! 

"Let me go!" she screamed, pounding against his upper body as she tried to wiggle out of his hold. But damn him! His hanyou grip was much too powerful, but that didn't mean she didn't keep trying. First day and she was already feeling violated. Oh lord, please say she still had her virginity by the end of the two weeks. "You narcissistic perverted man! I'll sue you! I swear I'll charge you for sexual harassment!" 

But he didn't let her go and only trailed a hot breath around her cheeks and ears, causing her to shudder involuntarily. Stupid playboy! Stupid, _stupid _playboy! But most of all, **stupid **Sango for losing to a stupid playboy! 

"Stop it!" she shrieked as she felt his mouth move closer to her ears, his warm breath almost making her want to punch another one on his face. What did he _really _think she was? She had agreed to be his slave! _Not _his sex slave! And contrary to those cliché love stories, a girl didn't melt in just about any man's arms, especially if the man was someone they didn't like. 

"Why do you resist me…?" he whispered breathlessly, flicking out his tongue and tracing the outline of her ear. She shuddered reluctantly again at the wet contact and moved her face away, but only caused him to trail his tongue across her cheek before she yanked her whole head away. 

He _really _had to ask her why she resisted him? This man _was _really dimwitted and egotistical. Not every female yielded to his erotic attacks on them and she was definitely one of those people. He might have looks and he might have the body lots of men would be jealous of, but if he didn't have the personality, then he was about as unattractive to her as a woman was to a gay man. 

She used her full strength to push him away and this time, he let go of her, a soft smirk on his face. That _bastard! _He had only been playing around with her! 

"INUYASHA KITAO! You are by far, the most irritating, vain, foolish and unintelligent man I have ever met in my life! Just because you have the money, the fame and the looks does not give you the right to harass any woman you come across!" She shoved a finger in his face and he backed off a bit, his eyes crossing as he concentrated on the tip of her finger. She noticed he rather looked adorable that way, but as she said, without the personality, he was ugly.

"I resist you because you are a bastard. A sick, hormone-driven bastard! Don't you use that tongue on me ever again or I'll be forced to make you a mute! Your ego is the size of Japan and your arrogance, without a doubt, exceeds even men richer than you! Other women may fall at your feet and beg you to take them---" She narrowed her eyes, tippy toeing up to stare at him in his eyes. "---but I won't." 

She backed off as she continued to glare at him. "I won't deny you have enough money to get you nearly everything in this world…but your money can't buy one thing."

He raised one curious eyebrow, before saying, "And that would be what…?" 

"It can't buy me," she replied defiantly as she crossed her arm across her chest, her glare as fierce as ever. She flipped her hair over her shoulders before looking away, watching the pool that looked calm and reflective. "Your money can buy you everything…except me." She repeated, hoping the loaded man got the idea through his thick skull. 

He stared at her, a little confused. He was hot, he was rich, he had fame…how could this simple, mere, poor girl resist him? She intrigued him, yet she aggravated him. She had punched him, insulted him and told her she didn't like him in the least. How could she…? "What makes you think I can't buy you…?" 

She looked offended as she snapped her angry stare back to him. "You can't buy me because the only person you can buy is something who is materialistic. Unfortunately for you, I am not a materialistic girl." 

He looked slightly amused. Slightly. At his silence though, she thought she had won and turned around to stomp back to her room, but Inuyasha stopped her with a sentence that got her blood boiling and her ears steaming. 

"Slave…you still need to get me my lemonade." 

Kagome's body shook in rage as she turned around once more, stalking up to the hanyou and pushing him back to the edge of the pool. "_Fresh-squeezed lemonade…?_" she whispered dangerously, an evil smirk appearing on her face that could rival his own. 

He seemed oblivious to the perilous aura surrounding her. He only smirked playfully back at her and replied, "With extra ice and sugar." 

She smiled in a sugary way at the request, lifting two hands to cover his chest again. He thought she had finally submitted herself to him, but the next words absolutely contradicted the syrupy beam she had. 

"Go to hell." 

She pushed his chest in a strong drive, and since he had been standing on the tip of the edge, he flailed his arms around wildly as he felt air rush pass him. He lost his balance and slipped, plunging into the crystal clear water and causing water droplets to fly everywhere. Bubbles appeared on the surface and seconds later, the hanyou surfaced in a gasp, his hair completely ruined and tangled as water ran down his face.

He glared up to see the girl who was still smirking evilly, before she turned away from him and trudged back to her room. He watched the way she walked stiffly, even as she slammed the door shut and left its structure shuddering. 

He was silent for a while, before taking in a sniff and noticing, her scent still filled the room. The woman actually had a nice smell to her. He grinned wickedly. "Sango, you've found the perfect girl…" he muttered, as he waded his way to the steps out of the pool. That girl was perfect. If he could break through her, then he could break through anyone. He would prove to Miroku, no woman could ever resist him. 

However, he started wondering, could he break someone so strong? Could he get someone who hated him so much to fall in love with him? But yes...he can, can't he? He was rich and he was Inuyasha. Inuyasha gets everything...even the girl who thinks she can resist him. Still, her words echoed eerily in the recesses of his mind.

_Your money can buy you everything…except me._

A/N: She might think it's resistance…but it sounds more like a challenge to me. ;) 


	4. A Rush to the Head

**Author's Notes**: My 'anonymous' reviewer has told me what the fic's name is that resembles mine [it isn't an Inuyasha story…so I still am holding this modern slave idea unique to me in this section ^_^]. I checked and realized, wow, the first chapter is kind of like mine. She only has three chapters up though and after the first, it's different from mine. Don't worry. I really did get this idea off my head and I didn't copy it. It's going to be as twisted as Behind the Masquerade after a few more chapters.  


And YES, I use song lyrics for my...song lyrics opening. ¬_¬ 

As You Wish

IV. A Rush to the Head

_Love ain't like no fairy tale   
It'll break your heart  
'Cause it don't always have   
A happy ending_

Really, she couldn't be more bored. "Whooooo," she said monotonously as she swung around in the chair, eating a piece of Belgian chocolate. She made a face as she looked around the building, all the employees rushing in and out and trying to get their files done on time. She never wanted to work in a job like this. Her ideal job was where she worked in a place with maybe a few nice people and the place had to have a pleasant, warm atmosphere to it. Maybe she should pursue that psychiatrist dream of hers…

Yawning, she leaned back into the chair, plucking another piece of Belgian chocolate out of the box and munching on it delicately. Inuyasha had given it to her and told her to eat it while waiting for him. Did she honestly think she would listen to him…? 

…She hated being his slave.

He had received an urgent call from his secretary at the company and was forced to rush to the corporation. He had forced her along with him, although she really had no idea why. She had been in the living room, being a lazy girl and watching T.V., a good two hours after she had pushed him into the pool [which she admits, she didn't feel guilty about] and then he barges in and commands her to follow him into his car. She _had _tried putting up a fight to avoid going anywhere with him ["I need to know what amoebas are!"] but he had used his power as her master to take her along.

Then when she had been stuffed into his silver BMW, which she noticed looked pretty stylish, and she wouldn't stop complaining, he had whipped out the…

_Belgian chocolates…_

Damn Miroku for telling him! She loved those things, but they were expensive. The hazelnut cream they had inside was to die for though. And that idiot had allured her with them! That sneaky…

"Whooooo," she repeated in the same dull voice, swinging in the chair again. It had been a good hour and she was slowly losing her sanity. Looking at the clock, she noticed it was five thirty in the afternoon. Her stomach was kind of empty now and she was sure the chocolate would give her aches later on if she didn't eat something good. 

"Soooo hungryyyy," she drawled, staring up at the ceiling with her mouth open, looking much like a dead fish. _Stupid Inuyasha… _She reached for another piece of chocolate, but to her dismay, they were all gone. After eating them slowly for an hour, they were gone! "Noooooo," she muttered quietly, swinging in the chair and still staring up at the ceiling. Whoever said the life of the rich and famous would be all fun and games? 

"Hello," someone said and Kagome instantly turned her head down to stare at the person who had spoken. Finally! Someone acknowledged the sad, little, _bored _girl in the corner. She opened her eyes wide though when she felt like she was staring into a mirror. She was even about to reach out and touch her sophisticated-looking self, who looked just as surprised, but then the 'image' started talking. 

"Are you Kagome Higurashi?" she asked, and Kagome was about to say, 'Are _you?_' but decided against it.

"Yes…" she answered, narrowing her eyes a bit at the stranger. Had Souta stolen her DNA and made the government clone another Kagome or something…? She shook her head at the stupid thought. 

"I'm Inuyasha's secretary. He asked me to tell you that he'll be done with everything in five more minutes. But, he said if you're still hungry, there's a candy vending machine down the hall," the woman said, a strict appearance on her face and gazing gray eyes that always maintained eye contact with Kagome. 

Kagome was surprised. She had expected a more… cutesy girl… as Inuyasha's secretary, but then she guessed he needed someone stern to keep his mind on the job. "Oh thank you, but I don't have any money with me," Kagome said, remembering she had left her purse at home in Inuyasha's haste to bring her here. Why did he bring her here anyway? To decorate the company with her boredom? Or because he wanted her in case his shoe got dirty? Evil man. 

"Why don't you ask Inuyasha for money…?" the secretary muttered darkly, and Kagome looked confused. What did this secretary mean?

"Why would I ask him for money?" Kagome inquired, tilting her head to the side. 

"All of Inuyasha's girlfriends usually ask for money any chance they get," the secretary said, with what suspiciously sounded like a snort-like noise coming from her throat. 

Kagome opened her eyes wide as she shuddered. Inuyasha's… "_Girlfriend!?" _she shrieked, as if those words burned her soul while she twitched a bit. Oh of all the disgusting things she could have said…there wasn't any worse. 

"Well you can't be Inuyasha's wife," the other woman replied curtly.

Okay, so there was worse. 

"I'm his bargained personal maid who absolutely dislikes him and can't wait till the two weeks is over and I can get my butt back to finding a job," Kagome explained, nodding to herself at her straightforward plan. Just two weeks... 

The secretary's eyes opened a bit in shock, but that was all that betrayed her emotions. "You actually hate him?" she questioned, lifting one eyebrow in disbelief. 

Kagome actually snorted. "Enough to punch his jaws and push him into the pool." She wanted to chuckle at the mere thought of those two incidents. 

The other woman was quiet for a while before reaching out a hand. "Ashida Kikyou, nice to meet you."

Kagome stared at the hand before taking it warily. "Nice to meet you too," she answered, offering a smile to the secretary. 

Kikyou nodded after taking her hand back. "Maybe you'll finally be someone who could knock some sense into his head? His skull is thicker than diamonds." 

Kagome giggled a bit. "I agree." She nodded in mock sympathy before adding onto the already thick layer of insults. "It's blown up to the size of a hot air balloon and his tenacious persistence is almost to the point of irritation." 

Kikyou smiled slightly and was about to say something before she was interrupted.

"Are you both finished patronizing me behind my back?" 

The two women looked at Inuyasha with the same deadpan look on their faces. "We could continue," Kagome muttered, already feeling other insults grow in her head. 

He shot her a look as dry as hers. "If you keep disbehaving, I'm going to whip you when we get home," he answered nonchalantly, and almost all the employees stopped what they were doing to stare when they heard that. 

Kagome could feel her face grow red as people thought she was just another 'girlfriend' of Inuyasha's. An interesting tic started in her left eye and she felt the familiar itch in her fingers. Oh how she _hated _him for embarrassing her! He was so impossible! 

She only shot him a wicked smile. "I'll rather be thrown off this building…" she hissed, pointing a finger to an open window. 

There was tension as the two glared hard at each other, the battle of the stubborn wills trying to force one to yield to the other. Kagome's lips were turned in a taut pout and she crossed her arms obstinately across her chest, while Inuyasha just looked calm but stubborn.   
  
  
  
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, smoothing down the suit he had been forced to wear and shooting her another deadpan look.

"Home? That's not my home! That's my prison, idiot!" Kagome yelled, almost looking like a disobedient child as she pouted more, a frown gracing her face. "I'm hungry though…" she muttered, totally off-topic as her stomach started grumbling before she remembered she was suppose to be arguing with him. "But I don't want to go home with you!"   
  
  


He only rolled his eyes and took one quick step towards her, grabbing her around the waist in a swift motion and swinging her over his shoulders while she started screaming and pounding his back. The employees continued staring, wondering what to do or just ignore this and pretend they never saw it.

Inuyasha shot an exasperated gaze over his shoulders to Kikyou and said casually, "The files are done. Send it out before 6 pm, got it?"

She only nodded, still staring at Kagome who was having the blood rushed to her head and forcing her cheeks to flush a red crimson. Although, Kikyou wasn't sure whether it was because of the blood rushing to her head or the mortification of being seen by everyone in that kind of predicament. Poor girl couldn't kick either because she was wearing a white skirt.

"MY SHIRT, INUYASHA! MY SHIRT!" Kagome shrieked like a banshee as he started sauntering towards the door with her over his shoulders, causing her shirt to slip down and show her stomach and much more skin than she was used to. She nearly flushed purple at the glances the men were giving her when she managed to get a peek around the building. 

Inuyasha only answered by pulling her shirt back up, covering her skin and making her breathe easier. But that didn't last for long as she started screaming at him again, pounding her fists on his lower back and trying to find a good place to bite. 

Inuyasha turned around before he exited and glared furiously at his employees. "GET BACK TO WORK," he bellowed and everyone jumped, immediately taking their eyes off the couple and continuing on with their job.

She screamed, scratched and pounded all the way down the elevator and even into the parking lot, before she stopped from the result of all the blood rushing to her head. She felt faint and things were starting to spin…or maybe that was because she was being grabbed from his shoulders? 

She suddenly found herself being held bridal style in Inuyasha's arms and she immediately started glaring at him, instantaneously bringing a hand to his face and slapping him hard across the cheek. "THAT'S FOR MAKING ME REVEAL MYSELF TO YOUR WHOLE COMPANY!" she screamed in fury, but he only seemed to ignore the red handprint on his face and walked towards his silver car with his eyes narrowed. 

"Can you stop insulting and hitting me for a moment?" he grumbled, nearing the car. 

She made a scene as if she was thinking about the question before she answered promptly with a definite, "No." 

"Why?"

She continued hitting his chest even as he neared the car. In order to get his key though, he effortlessly threw her over his shoulder again, before opening the passenger side of the car and stuffing her into the seat.

She decided to answer his question as she felt her behind meet something other than air. "I already told you why!" she yelled as he leaned over her to buckle her seatbelt. She felt more like a child than ever and she seriously wanted to pull his white hair as some strands started tickling her bare neck. "Get away from me!" 

Kagome thought he would just pull his head out of the car and leave her alone in her rage, but he only moved his head and drew his face mere inches away from hers, staring deep into her azure gaze. Her breath hitched in her throat with his amber glance so close to hers and she felt goosebumps appear on her bare arm. "You need to shut up," he hissed dangerously, and she could feel his own breath on her lips. 

She started seething inside. Why did her master have to be such an evil, conniving, trying to be seductive, _bastard!? _

"You first," she replied with as much threat lacing her voice as his did. 

They continued glaring at each other again, irritated gold meeting furious sapphire, and with their faces mere inches away from her. They were so close, Kagome was secretly afraid he would hear the pounding of her heart. She didn't like the intimate distance between the two of them all of a sudden and wanted to pull back, but her head was against the seat. Damn these movie situations! 

It continued like this for a few more moments, with Kagome feeling more goosebumps rise and her heart beat so fast, it was almost scary. She certainly didn't like being close to any man and this gap between her face and his was not even wide enough for a fist to separate them. It was a very nervous condition.

"You're afraid," he whispered in that tone of voice she hated so much, and she only narrowed her eyes in response.

"No, I'm not!" 

He only sent her one more gaze before pulling away, not looking at her as he retracted his head out of the car and slammed the door shut. 

_Damn him and his demonic senses…_she thought, as she lifted a hand up over her chest where her heart was---It was still beating like a madman. That tic started in her left eye again and she frowned. How could she have submitted herself to such a job over some oden and food? It wasn't fair! This had been a one-sided bargain, with all the profit going to Sango and Inuyasha! 

She could feel the door opposite of hers open and the body clad in a casual business suit sit in the posh seat, his eyes refusing to make eye contact with her. A frown was on his face as he stuck the key into the ignition, causing the engine to flare alive. He buckled his own seatbelt and yet, he refused to look directly at her. She didn't really have a problem with that though as she stared out the window, watching him pull slowly out of the parking spot. 

"You still can't compare to the model…" he muttered in a dark tone, driving leisurely out of the parking lot of the corporation.

Kagome narrowed her eyes as she continued staring out the window, watching other cars drive by. "Being anorexic wasn't one of my goals in life," she replied in an even tone. 

"You don't want to look beautiful?" 

"I'm beautiful as I am now." 

There was a quiet silence, or maybe strained tension, between the two people in the car as Inuyasha kept his eye trained onto the road and Kagome continued gazing out the window at all the buildings and people. She hated him. Just because she wasn't the slimmest girl in the world didn't mean she wasn't a beautiful person inside. He was so superficial. .. 

However…"That's good to know," he replied, and her posture stiffened. So she hadn't been expecting him to agree with her and had assumed he would say she was stupid for believing in the stuff about the beauty within. She still hated him for always comparing her to models though. 

"Who wants to be that model anyway…" she mumbled menacingly. "If a wind blew too hard, she'll snap like a twig. You won't even remember her name in the end…" 

"What makes you think I won't forget yours?" 

She couldn't help but turn a lingering gaze to the man next to her, and saw that he was still staring at the road, his eyebrows scrunched together in a frown. She realized he was serious about the question. 

A tiny smirk was on her lips as she intertwined her fingers delicately together on her lap, looking in front of her as the car covered the roads back to Inuyasha's home. "Let's just say, I'm not a girl you'll ever forget." 

*~*~*

The two looked around slowly, making sure no one saw them in the corridor. There was always the usual maid or two that Inuyasha kept around to make sure the house was clean. The cast of fifty maids only came once a month and they thanked whoever was listening that they weren't here today. They also had to be careful of the butler, although if the butler found them, he'd probably be too dense to figure out their motive and maybe if he keeps asking, one of them could hit him over the head. 

"Did Ayame cook dinner and dessert yet?" a feminine voice hissed, as they snuck into the empty kitchen. 

"Yes. She just finished and she's taking a bathroom break. We have at the most, five minutes before she finishes taking her bathroom break and stretching…and then she'll return," a masculine voice replied as the two snuck to the fridge, opening it and looking at all the food inside. 

"What time is it?" the girl whispered, as they began to take out all the cooked dinner from the fridge. 

"It's 5:45. Inuyasha and Kagome will be back by 6 at the latest and dinner is always around six. Ayame won't have time to cook anything else and you know Inuyasha, he always likes a big dinner. In this way, Inuyasha will be forced to take Kagome out to eat!" The man saw the huge chocolate cake and licked his lips greedily, taking it carefully out and setting it on the counter as he helped the girl pile the dishes of food slowly on top of one another. 

"Are you _sure _this will work, Miroku?" the girl sighed softly, holding the plates of food with both her hands as Miroku held the gigantic chocolate cake. They both started trotting out of the kitchen as quietly as possible. 

"Of course, Sango. When have I ever failed in my plots?" he asked, as the two slowly crept across the antechamber and up the stairs to Miroku's room. 

"Never," she replied dryly, wearily agreeing to Miroku's argument. 

"Exactly. This time it'll be no different!" 

Sango turned around after she finally forced her legs to climb up the long stairs, glaring at Miroku as her arm started to die on her from the weight of the dishes. "It could be different this time around! This time, you're playing with two of our best friends' relationship. It'll backfire, for sure." 

"And the problem is…?" Miroku questioned innocently as they crept along on the carpet, hoping Hojo wouldn't meet them on the way. 

"The problem is, you're trying to play God. And wherever you got the idea that you're God from is beyond my comprehension, but all the bad things will swing back around and hit you in the eye. Where's your morals!? I thought you were supposed to be a believer in Buddhism!" she hissed as he opened the door to his room, urging her into the enormous room that was at least twice as big as Kagome's. 

"I _am _a believer in Buddhism, so like Siddhartha said, our whole life is an illusion. Thus, Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship is an illusion and I am not causing it…and you and I are an illusion and us getting into bed should be an illu---"

"Shut up!" Sango screamed after she put the dishes down, turning around and glaring hotly at Miroku. "Get your dirty mind out of the gutter and let's think about where to put all the food! Inuyasha will be able to smell it if we don't get rid of it…" 

Miroku gently put the chocolate cake down on the table too, and scratched his head as he tried to think of a way to get rid of everything. Almost as if it had hit him like a mack truck, he put his fists in his palm in an 'I got it!' gesture and turned to look at Sango with twinkling eyes. "Let's play this one game I know! I use to play it with Inuyasha when we were small." He smiled innocently and Sango gawked, as if willing him to even dare and say something lecherous. 

"How do you play…?" she asked cautiously, narrowing her eyes. 

He was all too eager to demonstrate. Swiping a finger at the chocolate cake and wiping a small dab off of it, he reached over and traced the icing down Sango's cheek. Her eyes went wide as she felt the cold sugar run down her cheek, while her mouth was open in shock.

"What are you doing!?" she shrieked, dragging a hand up and wiping at the icing. 

He only smirked as he went over to another table and picked up a deck of card. "We can play any game with cards and whoever wins gets to draw something on the loser's face just as I have demonstrated..." He seemed to be thinking about something… "And lick it off!"

Sango shot him a wry look. "I doubt you licked food off of Inuyasha's face." 

Miroku looked dejected when he realized Sango had found out he had just added the last thing in a lame attempt. "Okay…just draw something on the loser's face and the loser can't wipe it off until they both give up." 

She narrowed her eyes as a sly smile drawled itself onto her lips. "Alright…" she answered deviously as she seated herself in one of the seats around the table and looked expectedly up at Miroku. "I'll play." 

He was a bit confused at her acceptance, but shrugged mentally to himself. As long as he got to draw things on her face…

Going over to the door to lock it, he went back to his seat across from her, still looking smug. After years of playing cards with Inuyasha, little did Sango know he was a champion at almost any card games. He gracefully suggested, "Cheat? Blackjack? Poker?" as he shuffled the cards like any pro casino dealer.

She looked indifferent as she replied, "Let's play blackjack," she said and he nodded, starting to deal out the cards. He still had on that little arrogant smirk as she received her cards and looked at them. 

"Ready?" she whispered over her hand, a smirk as dangerous as his gracing her own face. 

"Ready," he answered, confident he would win every single game. After all, he WAS the champion...

But then again, what goes around comes around. Little did he know, Sango was not the champion at almost any card game like he himself proclaimed to be... 

She was the supreme master of _all _card games…

A/N: This story is full of delicious conspiracies…   
  


And Kikyou isn't going to be evil. ^_^ Surprise! Well...maybe... 


	5. Flashes Before Your Eyes

Author's Notes: Hmm...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
** As You Wish  
  
V. Flashes Before Your Eyes  
  
**   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_If you wanna play games with me then, I'm good   
Say what you do for me then, I'm good   
You don't really mean a thing cause, I'm good   
With or without you  
  
_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"WHERE'S THE FOOD!?"  
  
  
  
"If I knew, you wouldn't be asking."  
  
  
  
Kagome took a seat at the counter and laid her forehead down on the surface, tired of hearing the two argue about where the food had suddenly disappeared to. She was hungry, she was tired (of Inuyasha), she was bored, and she was definitely not in the mood to listen to a rich man argue with his cook. They had arrived 'home' at 6:10 at night and he had said something about dinner, but was dinner being served? No…  
  
  
  
"Food doesn't just disappear!"  
  
  
  
"It always does around midnight every single day! I wonder why?"   
  
  
  
Inuyasha started swiping a claw here and a claw there, and Kagome watched with mild amusement as his claws created some kind of squiggly patterns in the air. However, when he started shouting again, she went back to putting her forehead on the counter. "I'm hungry," she commented airily, although she got no reply.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha stared at the wolf cook coldly. "Cook some ramen then!"   
  
  
  
Ayame threw her hands up into the air, glaring hotly at Inuyasha. "Ramen isn't a dinner food! You need some rice, some noodles, some meat, some vegetables, then followed by some good ol' dessert! _That's_ a dinner!"   
  
  
  
Inuyasha almost moped like a naughty child, crossing his arms across his chest. "But ramen is part of the five daily food groups!"  
  
  
  
Ayame looked ready to tear out her own hair. "No! Ramen isn't! It's junk! You eat ramen too much. You're going to go fat, Inuyasha. You still have your reputation to maintain! That includes your body!"   
  
  
  
Kagome's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry…" Kagome stated again, but there was no respond once more, and she sighed lightly.   
  
  
  
"Who cares! Ramen is good. Ramen is the best. I'm ordering you to make ramen!" Inuyasha yelled at the wolf, pointing to the stove with a frown on his face. It always ended like this.  
  
  
  
Ayame grimaced at the command and scowled as she moved to the cupboard to get some ramen. When her employer directed her to do so, she had to. She couldn't possibly risk being fired, no matter how Inuyasha seemed to be attached to the ramen she cooked.   
  
  
  
Kagome lifted her head and glowered at Inuyasha. "I'm hungry, damnit!."   
  
  
  
This caught the hanyou's attention and his ears swiveled over to her, along with the furious gaze on his face. "Ayame is cooking ramen already! Can't you wait!?" he bellowed, his frustration almost pushing him to the edge of his sanity.   
  
  
  
Catching the intense gold in his eyes, Kagome shuddered a bit; Inuyasha was scary when he was angry. "I don't want to eat ramen," she whispered in a low voice, since she was sick of the noodles. She always ate ramen at home because she hardly had money to buy anything else.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha continued glaring at her as Ayame put the ramen on the stove, a deep frown on her face. She muttered something like 'selfish dog' but Inuyasha couldn't be too sure on what she said. He watched how Kagome diverted her eyes to look at anything other than him, a nervous look in those orbs. What was wrong with her?  
  
  
  
"What do you want to eat then?" he snapped in an infuriated tone, still scowling at her.   
  
  
  
Kagome lifted a finger to her lips in thoughtfulness. "Hmm…I want to eat…" She lifted an eyebrow. "---Anything, but ramen."  
  
  
  
"Why does everybody have problems eating ramen for dinner?!"  
  
  
  
_Because it gets sickening after living on it for years…? _Kagome thought distastefully in her head, now imagining her college days. She shivered. Yup…sickening.   
  
  
  
Ayame looked over at Inuyasha from the stove. "Why don't you go out and eat? It'll be better than staying home." She snickered a bit. Usually, Inuyasha avoided eating anywhere other than home because if reporters trying to sneak into his house weren't enough, they usually liked to somehow appear and stalk him at dinner. It would be unnerving for anyone to go out to eat with flashes every few minutes. Privacy outside the house was not known for a famous person.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha suddenly seemed uneasy and edgy as he gazed at Ayame like she had grew another head. "Remember what happened last time I went out to eat in a public place with…umm, whatever her name was?"   
  
  
  
Kagome clucked her tongue against the upper part of her mouth, making a scorning sound. However, in her mind, she searched through magazines to see if she remembered any article on Inuyasha going out to eat and something occurring. She came upon one about three or four months ago, but the details were a bit blurry…  
  
  
  
"Of course I remember, Inuyasha. It's 'the most shameful thing in the history of my (Inuyasha's) life!' Who in this household doesn't remember?" Ayame asked nonchalantly as she turned off the stove. The ramen wasn't cooked, but she really didn't care. She was tired of cooking. She had cooked a great dinner for Kagome's arrival, but whoever had stolen her dinner, had ruined it anyway. Inuyasha should just take his slave out to eat.   
  
  
  
"What happened?" Kagome asked, her eyes wide in innocent curiosity as she stared at the other two demons.   
  
  
  
Ayame and Inuyasha snapped their gazes at her at the same time, something akin to horror in their eyes. "Nothing," they both tried to say imperturbably, although Kagome wasn't a dumb child. She knew something had happened.   
  
  
  
"But---"  
  
  
  
"Out you go, Inuyasha! I'm sure nothing will happen!"  
  
  
  
"But, I wa---"  
  
  
  
"FINE, whatever, Ayame. I'll try to keep clear of reporters. That okay with you, slave? You can't care what they write about you."  
  
  
  
"I don't care about that! I just want to kn---" Kagome's words just seemed to get interrupted every time she asked what happened, so she decided to just give up when Inuyasha shot out the kitchen like a bullet. Most likely, he was changing into something else more comfortable. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.   
  
  
  
She turned her glance to Ayame, whose jade eyes only widened before she too, shot out the kitchen from the other door. Kagome groaned as she spun around in her chair. "What is wrong with me knowing!?" she screamed out loud, and Hojo, who had been stalking the foyer looked a bit confused when he heard her.   
  
  
  
Jumping from her spot on the stool, Kagome trudged to the living room to watch some T.V. Who knew how long a hanyou took to change? She might as well catch up on some news in the world outside her because it seemed it would be the only way she would get some information. She wasn't sure whether she could leave the premises and enter again, what with all those guards protecting the mansion like dogs.   
  
  
  
_Must check on what happened months ago…_Kagome reminded herself, before with a flick of her finger, she turned the lights off in the kitchen.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Inuyasha's nose twitched once he walked closer to his room, which was close to Miroku's. He smelt food…but that couldn't be possible. Hadn't Miroku went out to eat with Sango or something? But, he definitely smelled traces of food coming from Miroku's room. Frowning, he stopped in front of his friend's door and knocked.  
  
  
  
There was a sudden squeal from inside and Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. Taking a deeper sniff, he noticed it was Miroku and Sango. In Miroku's room? Did those two finally get together? Maybe…but then again, he doubted it. Sango had never told her feelings about Miroku to the lecher, so he doubt they were. So what were they doing? "I know you're both in there, Miroku, Sango, so you might as well open the door."   
  
  
  
There was a silence for a while, before a click sounded and Sango opened the door, her eyes as wide as Kagome's had been before. "Yes, Inuyasha…?" she asked, a tense smile on her face as her voice became airily light.   
  
  
  
"What are you and Miroku doing in there…?" Inuyasha inquired, trying to look over Sango who had a smudge of food on her nose, and see Miroku inside. This instantly caused Sango to remove her hold on the knob and swing her hands up into the air, pretending to half stretch and half block his view.   
  
  
  
This only made the hanyou smirk as he gave the door a quick push and it swung open carelessly, hitting the wall it was connected upon. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he saw Miroku stare at him terrified, with…food…on his face? A twinkle came into Inuyasha's eyes. "What happened to _you,_ Miroku?"   
  
  
  
Miroku tried to cover his face as Sango retreated back into the room with a casual air, watching the two men with an indifferent gaze. How dare she! She had drawn all over his face after winning game after game (all except for…ONE), and now she was so nonchalant about his embarrassment!? Oh yes, that's Sango…   
  
  
  
"Move your hand, Miroku. I want to see what's written on your face. You can't hide it forever." Inuyasha smirked when he watched his friend move his hands away, revealing his cake-covered face. He also noticed dishes after dishes on the table that had looked like they were eaten like it was a pie-eating contest. So that was where the food went to…those bastards.  
  
  
  
The pervert instantly snapped, "Oh, shut up. Yea, we stole the food. You want to know why?" Miroku shot a quick glance over to Sango, before lying believably, "Because we were starving since we didn't eat anything today and you know…we love Ayame's cooking and all…and when you come home, all the food will be _gone._" Miroku had carefully and dramatically enunciated the word 'gone.'  
  
  
  
"Played Draw with Sango though?" Inuyasha commented as he leaned against the door structure, the amused look still on his face. "You lost pathetically," he also noted.   
  
  
  
Miroku grumbled something under his breath and tried not to move his face too much. The sticky feeling was absolutely disgusting. "She's like the She-Satan of all card games," Miroku pointed out with a shudder, while one side of Sango's lips twisted upwards.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha would have usually erupted into a burning volcano and tackled Miroku for eating the food by now. But, Miroku losing at Draw (because Inuyasha usually lost, but no one should know that) was a delightfully delicious reason to tease the other man. "I can tell." Inuyasha began reading the things on Miroku's face. There were words like 'loser' 'assgrabber' 'I am a drag queen' and a '© Pervert Haters Incorporated' sign along with other tiny drawings. Sango had wiped the floor clean with Miroku's behind.   
  
  
  
Miroku frowned and tried covering his face again, not liking how Inuyasha looked ready to burst out in laughter. Stupid git. "So, what are you going to do? Eat me because I ate your food and it's happily in my stomach? Or go out to eat or something?"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Since Ayame refuses to cook ramen, I'm going out to eat with the slave."  
  
  
  
At this, both Miroku and Sango looked interested. They hadn't expected Inuyasha to really go out to eat…maybe order something and take it home, but not out to eat.   
  
  
  
"Yea! I remember what happened three months ago. It wasn't that interesting, so stop looking at me like that!" Inuyasha growled, turning away from Miroku's door and stalking to his room. He didn't need anyone reminding him of that incident, and least of all, Miroku of all people.   
  
  
  
"That was some funny shit, man," Miroku commented as he stuck his cake-covered face out the door to stare at Inuyasha. "I loved the way you started to d---"  
  
  
  
"SHUT UP!" Inuyasha roared and grabbed the vase next to him, throwing it straight at Miroku's face. Miroku barely had time to almost scream like a girl and dive back into the safe confines of his room as the vase flew past the room and smashed on the stair cases. Now there was another mess for the maids to clean.   
  
  
  
"You can't deny it was funny!" Miroku shouted out and could almost hear the bellow of fury down the hall. It was so much fun to tease the little hanyou.  
  
  
  
Sango lifted an eyebrow in amusement from the side as she watched Miroku smirk victoriously. "One day, you'll lose your head and I'll only say, I told you so. Inuyasha has a bad temper."   
  
  
  
"I could have lost my head a thousand times. Inuyasha never kills me. That's because he loves me so much!" Miroku grinned winningly again when he heard the _'I DO NOT!'_ down the hallway and a slam of another door.   
  
  
  
Sango only rolled her eyes as she picked up the deck of cards and started shuffling. It was time to beat Miroku down to the first floor again. "Another?" she inquired, smirking subtly once more as she regarded him with a questioning glare.   
  
  
  
Miroku stared at Sango with a blank expression, remembering the amounts of food covering his face. If he knew what was good for him, he would stop right then and there and prevent any further mortification. But then again, the 'man' in him wouldn't admit defeat to any woman and it promised that when he won, he could draw as many things on her face as she had did his. "Of course. You're going down, Sango. I'll win this time around…"  
  
  
  
Sango smiled. "And this is coming from the man with a 'loser' sign on his face…"   
  
  
  
  
  
*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aww…so cute…" he muttered as he watched her starting to drool all over the couch. He poked her cheek and it felt soft and squishy, and he smirked again. "Definitely disgustingly cute…"  
  
  
  
"Hamsters…carnivores…ate my shoe…" she mumbled broken sentences in her sleep and turned around, facing away from the man who was finding it amusing to poke fun of the girl as she slept.   
  
  
  
He lifted an eyebrow at the comment before pondering the best way to wake Kagome without incurring her wrath. He shrugged after thinking about it for two seconds. Going around to the back of the couch, he put one hand on her shoulders and the other on her stomach (which he noticed was actually well-toned) and pushed hard.   
  
  
  
This sent Kagome rolling off the couch and crashing to the ground, screaming as she woke up and bumped her forehead on the ground. She shot up and started rubbing her forehead as she looked around wildly, her eyes landing on the grinning hanyou as he crossed his arms across his chest arrogantly.   
  
  
  
"What was that for!?" she asked indignantly, pushing her white skirt over her knees since it had rode up when she fell. She brushed her hair down and got up, scowling at Inuyasha.   
  
  
  
"My couch is expensive. I don't want your drool all over it."   
  
  
  
She noticed the small spot of water, or what she assumed was her drool, on the couch and she frowned more. "Well, I'm sorry. It's not my fault a show about famous people and their worst breakups bore me so much that I fell asleep within a minute of it."   
  
  
  
"Did you know some of them only hook up to get publicity?" Inuyasha asked, walking towards the door as Kagome flicked the T.V. off and followed him.   
  
  
  
"Gee, you think?"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha ignored the obvious sarcasm. "But then again, some of them are real."   
  
  
  
"I'll be surprised those don't break up within three months with their type of schedule. I personally would never want a famous person as a boyfriend. I hate publicity." She yawned a bit as she stretched her muscles and followed Inuyasha out the front door.   
  
  
  
"All couples who are famous break up within a year…or at least only stay faithful within a year. Any longer than that and there will be outside trysts." He opened the door to the garage and Kagome choked a bit at the amount of cars in the place. They were all rich, expensive, new and all out of reach of her paycheck. And to think she thought Inuyasha would only have three cars…it was more like thirty.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha continued onwards and opened a glass case with car keys in them, taking one out as he motioned for Kagome to follow him. She did so obediently, but only because she was stunned at all the money in wheels in this confinement. If she sold one of these cars…she would have enough money for a long time. Hell, if she sold all these cars in this garage, she would be living in ecstasy for the rest of her life.   
  
  
  
"You're too rich," she commented as they stopped at a silver Jaguar XKR convertible. Her eyes widened as she watched him go to the driver's side and open the door. "Aren't these things 90,000 dollars!?" she screamed as he opened the door for her from the inside and waited for her to get in.   
  
  
  
"I don't know. Got it as a gift from my father." Inuyasha shrugged as a dazed Kagome carefully got into the car, dazzled by the interior as she felt Inuyasha buckle up next to her. She quietly put her own seat belt on and stared at the audio system, wondering if that screen she saw was one of those cool destination locaters.   
  
  
  
"320-watt Alpine premium audio system with six-CD auto-changer." Inuyasha patted his car affectionately before putting the key into the ignition, firing it up and letting the engine roar to life. Kagome was still a little staggered by the car (and had no idea what he had just said), but she was vaguely aware of Inuyasha moving out of the garage.   
  
  
  
"Where are we going to eat?" she whispered, as her stomach growled a bit.   
  
  
  
"Where do you want to eat?" he said back, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.   
  
  
  
She turned her face to the side to meet gazes with him, as she blinked confusedly. "I don't know where to eat that you've been to before."   
  
  
  
"How about at the Jasumin?" He was pressing buttons on his navigational thing and Kagome watched amazed as the destination to Jasumin (Jasmine) appeared. She recognized the name though and instantly shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I don't have enough money to eat there," Kagome mumbled as she looked away from Inuyasha. _I hardly have enough money for even a small entrée at that type of restaurant…  
_  
  
  
"I'll pay for you."  
  
  
  
Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha again. "Excuse me?" Did she hear right? Did Inuyasha just say he'd pay for her?  
  
  
  
"I said, I'll pay for you, stupid. Just tell me where you want to eat."   
  
  
  
Kagome felt like she needed to clean her ears out. Inuyasha was really offering to pay for her. Any other person would take advantage of such a position and situation, but she only smiled. It wouldn't hurt to allow a rich man to pay for her dinner, as long as it didn't have any clandestine motives, right? The perfect place suddenly came to her mind and she pressed the button that said 'destination address' and typed in the address of the place.   
  
  
  
When it appeared on the locater and said it was only fifteen minutes away, she pointed to the screen and smiled at Inuyasha. "Let's go there!"   
  
  
  
He looked down for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "The…Hana?" he questioned, reading the name of the restaurant and wondering why he had never heard of such a place. Don't tell him it was a place Kagome would eat. He had wanted her to choose a place he would eat…  
  
  
  
"Yea…I bet you'll like it."   
  
  
  
He snorted. "I doubt it."   
  
  
  
  
  
*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
_'I doubt it'_ my ass…Kagome thought dryly as she sniffed her nose in an irritated manner, and watched Inuyasha practically swallow the noodles in whole gulps, as he stuffed a burger into his mouth between bites.   
  
  
  
"Dish ish 'ood! (This is good)" Inuyasha tried to say over the ramen and burger in his mouth. How he could eat two at once without combining the tastes would remain a mystery to mankind. "Ish even 'etter 'an A'ame's (It's even better than Ayame's)," Inuyasha said, his eyes wide in twinkling joy.   
  
  
  
Kagome only tried to shove the piece of burger down her throat without throwing up. Whoever said famous people ate with elegance had obviously never met Inuyasha. The man was hardly the epitome of sophistication.   
  
  
  
"Happy you like it," she said dryly, putting down her burger as she suddenly lost her appetite when she saw the hanyou slurp his ramen up from the bowl and made parts of the soup fly between her eyes. She clenched her teeth as she rubbed the offending water droplet from her face, watching wryly as people around them gazed at Inuyasha with some sort of fascination and confusion. Some of the teenage girls were whispering and she wondered whether they recognized Inuyasha or not.   
  
  
  
"What's this called again?" Inuyasha mumbled, the name of the burger momentarily escaping his thoughts.   
  
  
  
"A double cheeseburger," Kagome answered in a deadpan voice, watching in disgusted interest as Inuyasha stuffed the remaining burger into his mouth, the lettuce between his teeth making her stomach do a flip---not a good flip.   
  
  
  
"How come no one ever fed me this," he questioned more to himself as he continued slurping up the ramen in his bowl. He saw the half-eaten burger on Kagome's plate and innocently inquired, "Are you still going to eat that?"  
  
  
  
She only refrained from making a face as she pushed her plate towards him, watching as he took her burger and began stuffing that into his mouth too. "I doubt you ever even walked into a common food restaurant, Inuyasha…"   
  
  
  
He only shrugged. "I only ate the good stuff…or that's what my mother fed me before she passed away." He grabbed the glass of water next to his food and drank that too.   
  
  
  
Kagome opened her eyes wide a bit when she noticed Inuyasha had confessed something personal to her. She doubt he even noticed because his attention seemed more intent on eating the burger like he was a starving animal instead of on the words he was spitting out. She had known Inuyasha's mother had been a beautiful woman who had been the only daughter of an influential family. Everyone expected her to follow a model's career, but she only designed dresses and obediently married Inuyasha's father as his second wife when his first wife passed away. It had been an arranged marriage, but the media always stressed that they lived as happily together as if they had married for love.  
  
  
  
"How did your mother die…?" Kagome asked in a subtle voice. She had been curious about that matter. No one really knew why Inuyasha's mother died. All anyone understood was that she had been found dead one morning and the news had passed it off as a suicidal result.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha stopped eating the burger and one hand over the glass of water tightened enough to nearly cause the cup to break. He looked up and glared at Kagome through icy, cold, golden eyes, hissing, "None of your business" over the food. With this said, he continued eating and Kagome was left a bit afraid of that gaze he had given her and with her stomach turning again as he stuffed the last piece of her burger into his mouth.   
  
  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Kitao? Would you like to answer some questions for the Daily Rise?" a voice suddenly interrupted, and both Kagome and Inuyasha looked up to see a man in a black trench coat smile at the couple while holding a camera.   
  
  
  
Kagome's eye twitched. Great. Just great. The reporters were coming.   
  
  
  
"I'm busy," Inuyasha growled, picking up the bowl of ramen soup and dumping all the content down his throat. Kagome watched, a little amused, as the reporter snapped a picture of that. Wow. Wouldn't that make front page news. She could see it now… 'Famous Inuyasha is Drinking his Ramen Soup in a Little Restaurant.'   
  
  
  
Inuyasha put the bowl down and frowned at the man who had taken a picture of him eating. "I told you, I don't want to answer any of your questions, and I don't want an interview. So, get lost." Obviously, Inuyasha wasn't kind to the tabloid journalists.   
  
  
  
"This will only take a minute, Mr. Kitao," the reporter answered and began taking pictures of the whole table, including Kagome. The girl looked bewildered as some of the flashes blinded her eyes and she had to feel around for the top of the table. This caused her to knock over her glass of water and the liquid started leaking into the table cover, some dripping onto Kagome's lap. She took in a sharp breath when she felt the water trickle into the white material of her skirt, staining the lap area of it transparent.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha instantly shot up from his spot and grabbed his napkin, putting it into Kagome's lap as he turned around and faced the nosy reporter.   
  
  
  
"Look here, you! I wa---"  
  
  
  
"Is this your new girlfriend?" the reporter questioned and snapped a picture of Kagome looked horrified and Inuyasha looking angry.   
  
  
  
"NO!" both Inuyasha and Kagome shouted, their eyes widening, but only causing them to fall pray to the evil flashes.   
  
  
  
"Isn't she a bit scrawnier then your usual flavor?" the reporter continued, as if deaf to the defying growls and the appalled and insulted gasp from Kagome.  
  
  
  
"Scrawny!?" she echoed, covering her eyes with her arm as she wished some miracle, preferably an earthquake, to suddenly come and stop this embarrassing moment. Didn't this idiot hear any of the responses they were giving?   
  
  
  
"She isn't my flavor of the week!" Inuyasha shouted in rebelliousness, watching as some of the elder couples in the restaurant paid and left, not wanting to see any more of such a ruckus. The teenagers started squealing when they realized it was really Inuyasha they had been staring at for the past ten minutes, and others were a mix of enthrallment and hatred.  
  
  
  
"How long have you two been together?"   
  
  
  
"Never!"   
  
  
  
"We haven't seen you eating out for a few months, Mr. Kitao. Does this lady know about what happened last time?"   
  
  
  
Kagome seemed a bit interested, but she was more humiliated as Inuyasha suddenly grabbed her up by the arm and started to drag her out of the restaurant, throwing 10,000 yen on the table. Kagome was about to yell that the food hardly cost even 1,500 yen, but Inuyasha seemed like he was fuming and beyond livid. She kept quiet as her spare arm tried covering the wet spot on her skirt and the reporter followed behind them closely, flashes still going off left and right. Was this what Inuyasha had to endure every time he came out to eat?   
  
  
  
Feeling warm hands suddenly swing her into a hard chest, she barely realized that Inuyasha was holding her bridal style again and was jumping towards his car. The reporter was shouting something behind them and Kagome peeked over Inuyasha a bit to see him with his camera up to his face, still snapping away.   
  
  
  
She shuddering unwillingly, but barely resisted when Inuyasha opened the passenger side's door and put her in, leaning over to buckle her seatbelt like he had done so a few hours ago. She saw that the reporter was running towards the car now and Inuyasha didn't even bother going out and walking around the car to his side, but only leapt across Kagome (with some difficulty, as Kagome noticed when one of his knees had to push against her thigh almost painfully) and stuck his key into the ignition.   
  
  
  
Once the engine roared to life, Inuyasha had buckled his seatbelt and was moving out of the parking lot like a typhoon, with wheels screeching as he sped towards the exit and the road, with the reporter running towards his own car this time and trying to follow. Kagome bit her lower lip at the speed they were going, but after a good few minutes of speeding, she breathed easier when they slowed down and no suspicious cars were tailing them.   
  
  
  
They traveled in silence, with Inuyasha gripping onto the wheel with a death grip and Kagome trying to calm her heart rate. The reporter had absolutely ruined their whole dinner, and unnerving tension was slowly washing itself over the two. They continued in peace, before one of them couldn't take the pressure.   
  
  
  
"Sorry," Inuyasha muttered under his breath in what sounded like a strained voice, as he swerved the corner almost dangerously, causing Kagome to grab onto the door like it was her lifeline.   
  
  
  
"It's okay," she replied, watching as Inuyasha went down the dark road towards his home.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha frowned as he swerved around another corner. "Every time I go out and it's in a public area, reporters just track me down and take pictures. You'll probably be in tomorrow's newspaper of the 'Daily Rise' then. You better not care about what they write about you. It could be nasty."   
  
  
  
Kagome shrugged a bit, looking out the window at the bright stars outside in the night sky. "As long as I know it isn't true, then I'm fine with it."   
  
  
  
"You don't mind?" he asked a bit incredulously, looking at the girl from the corner of his eye. Other girls he had 'dated' before usually started complaining and whining about the moment by this time.   
  
  
  
"Nah…" Kagome answered, enjoying the silence in the car. She smiled a bit. "It was actually quite fun."   
  
  
  
Inuyasha turned to face her completely, total lack of understanding on his expressions now. "Fun…?" he echoed, lifting an eyebrow and pulling his gaze towards the road again.   
  
  
  
Kagome didn't reply for a moment, but soon began to laugh gently and poked Inuyasha on the arm, a bright smile on her face. "Yea. It was a rush," she commented, joy in her eyes as she continued staring at the hanyou.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha could feel one side of his mouth lift up, as a strange sort of respect grew inside him for the girl sitting in the seat next to him. She had thought such an encounter with a reporter was fun…? She was odd…  
  
  
  
He could feel a chuckle escape his lips as they drove towards his mansion, with him running over the memories in his head. So, maybe she saw situations in a bizarre point of view, but he couldn't help but agree with her...if only a bit.   
  
  
  
"I guess it _had_ been a rush…"   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: I hit writer's block in this chapter, so excuse some strange forms of wordings if you see them.   
  
  
Two people have asked if I'll take this story to the lemon zone. Sorry whoever wants to see this go to the lemony region, but the rating _is_ PG-13. ^_^ There could be questionable sexual situations and things relating to that, but not a lemon. Sorry.  
  
  
Sign up for my notification list (which sends you an email each time I update) if you all like. It's located in my profile. I will not sign up for you...please do this simple step by yourself. ^_^  
  



	6. Between Coffee and Conspiracies

A/N: Sorry about the late update. My mother was in a car crash. She's fine.

  
**As You Wish  
  
VI. Between Coffee and Conspiracies **

**  
**

  
"Wouldn't it be interesting if we all took a trip to China and had to take a crap in a hole?" 

  
Miroku mused over the breakfast table as he shoved a fork full of bacon into his own mouth. He ignored the disgusted glares thrown his way and kept pondering, "I went to China once for a business trip. Some of the bathrooms were western-style, but the others…" He shuddered. "Talk about the horrible hygienic conditions…" 

  
"Miroku…" Sango began in a low, dark tone. "We're eating." 

  
Miroku looked confused as he ate a piece of scrambled eggs, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What's wrong with discussing about hygienic conditions of other countries over breakfast?"

  
Sango's frown grew deadlier as she resorted to ignoring the man while he drifted into another tirade of why he was grateful they had proper bathrooms with plungers instead of the famous hole-in-the-ground bathrooms in China. 

  
"Can you _imagine_ how horrid it would be if we accidentally stepped into the hole at night? I mean, with everyone preaching about achieving world peace, I would be right to urge people to build proper bathrooms everywhere in China first. _Always_ bring your own tissue paper. Rolls, I say."

  
Sango and Inuyasha's fragile patience was about to snap as Miroku asked for more bacon after finishing his harangue. A bright, morning smile was on his face --- for he was a morning person --- but Sango and Inuyasha had never quite achieved that state of simplicity yet. 

  
"Mmm, something smells good," a comment came from the doorway and the two who were about to lunge at Miroku were grateful for the distraction. 

  
Kagome stumbled in sleepily, an indolent, goofy grin on her face as she took her seat at an empty spot at the table. She still seemed to be half dreaming…one more point for the anti-morning people. "What's for breakfast?" she questioned as she forced her eyes open, revealing sleepy, shadowed orbs. 

  
"Just normal bacon and eggs…" Sango said, before rubbing her forehead. "But I'm warning you…you might just lose your appetite." 

  
Kagome turned her attention over to her friend and frowned, or at least tried to as Ayame put a plate of breakfast in front of her. The smell was simple luring her gaze back to it as she struggled to keep paying attention to Sango. Food always had a strange ability to win in these situations.

  
"Why are you here, Sango?" Kagome mumbled lethargically as she dug gratefully into the plate, half listening to the chatter around the table. 

  
"Stayed over. Miroku and I were busy till late at night yesterday." 

  
There was a hushed silence around the room as everyone tried to push out the possible meaning to Sango's words and replace them with the obvious and practical connotation. After all, they might have been out of their teens, but some habits died hard, and the perverted mind they all received during high school and college just died harder than others. 

  
"Oh…" 

  
Sango stared at all of their flustered expressions and narrowed her eyes. "Wait…what were you all thinking I meant with that?"

  
Miroku's smile would give the Cheshire cat a run for his money. "They're just implying that you and I should---"

  
The man never got to finish his sentence as two simultaneous crashes met his head; one being the spoon of Inuyasha who was sitting next to him and the other being Sango's own spoon that went flying through the air and landed smack dab in the middle of Miroku's forehead. 

  
"Ow! Stop the abuse!" Miroku cried in indignation as Inuyasha retracted his spoon while Miroku seized from his lap, the offending spoon that had just hit him. From the glare Sango shot him, he held it back out to her but she refused to take it, commenting that it was corrupted with pervert bacteria. 

  
However, Kagome kept on eating, accustomed to the usual arguments and little violent struggles over breakfast. After all, college really had been something else for her… 

  
Heavenly silence pursued for a few minutes afterwards, only disrupted by the occasional sizzles heard from Ayame's pan in the kitchen. It was something most of them reveled in, hoping it would last for a while. Other than that, the four at the table ate rather amicably…

  
Until Miroku began talking again and disturbed the quiet atmosphere.

  
"Hey Kagome, have you read the newspaper Daily Rise today yet?" Miroku asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "You guys had a _wild_ night yesterday," he remarked, ignoring the death glare directed to him from Inuyasha. 

  
"Don't read it," Inuyasha ordered as Kagome stared at the innocent newspaper laid artlessly on top of the table, a few words from the front page news catching her attention. 

  
"Another Bone to Chew on…?" Kagome frowned when she read the bold prints, grabbing the grey compilation of articles for that day before Inuyasha even managed to move his hand from his plate. He didn't bother as he watched her flip to the page the article was on and start reading, the drowsiness slowly ebbing like the tide as the words started burning itself into her head. 

  
"Kitao Inuyasha, the soon-to-be successor of the influential Kitao Corporation, was found with an unidentified woman late last night at a local food restaurant, the Hana. Refusing to answer certain questions, their hasty departure from the restaurant seems to signify some sort of romantic relationship between the two, especially considering how they left holding hands…" Kagome trailed off as she stared at the picture accompanied with that excerpt. It was of Inuyasha holding Kagome's hand as he practically dragged her out of the restaurant last night. She frowned and continued. "This has been the first time in months the youngest Kitao son has been spotted out eating dinner. The last one had been exactly three months and two weeks ago with what might perhaps be his most notorious exposure in a long whi---"

  
Kagome felt the newspaper abruptly ripped from her grasps as she saw Inuyasha leaning across the table rather haughtily, although with difficulty, and clutch the article to himself as if it was the most precious thing in the world. 

  
"It's nothing important. Just more history on me and guesses on how long you'll last before I dump you," Inuyasha said and walked to the kitchen, dumping the entire newspaper into the trash can and closing the lid with finality. "At least they're better than The Buzz…that company survives through outrageous rumors and gossip…" 

  
"You know, Kagome, if you and Inuyasha were going to have a grand getaway from a reporter during dinner time, you might as well have invited me along. I spent the whole time trying to wash various food substances off my face…Draw can get addictive when you're losing…badly." Miroku nodded sadly as Inuyasha resumed his spot at the table, continuing to eat his breakfast.

  
"Much like gambling," Sango commented dryly, although she was amused at just how bad Miroku had lost yesterday. She ended the night with exactly two smudges on her face: one on her nose and another on her right cheek. Miroku on the other hand had gotten so desperate that he had resorted to extending the drawing areas from just the face to his upper body. 

  
"Sango is definitely the queen of all card games…but how about we try and play strip poker next time, honey?" Miroku gave a suggestive wink over to Sango, who didn't seem a bit perturbed and only answered back with a lift of interested eyebrows.

  
"Be prepared to be stripped down to your bare necessities then," she warned, smirking slightly as she shoved a piece of bacon into her mouth with smugness. 

  
The man however, didn't seem to even flinch. "I wouldn't decline if you offer me to strip further than that. You may find me absolutely delicious," Miroku declared proudly, puffing out his chest and smiling like a god towards the whole table.

  
Sadly for him, Inuyasha only snorted, Kagome turned a slight shade of green, and Sango's juice almost squirted out of her nose. Kagome patted her friend's back as Sango started choking, shooting a glare full of contempt straight at Miroku. 

  
"I think Sango finding you 'delicious' is like Inuyasha not loving ramen," Kagome explained the meaning behind the glare to Miroku, giving him a sympathetic look. 

  
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Miroku's smile turned upside down and he looked lost.

  
"It means, forget your little fantasies," Sango enlightened the corrupted fool and got up from the table, brushing stray juice off the shirt she had been forced to borrow from Miroku last night. She winced when she noticed it was his and asked Kagome to borrow an outfit, which Kagome only shrugged and obliged, pointing the way to her room. 

  
As Sango was leaving the room however, Miroku commented, "Well Sango, dear, _I_ find _you_ completely _delicious_ in _my_ shirt." He gave her a wink and she only blushed a bit before frowning, turning her head away and stalking out of the room with disdain written clearly on her expressions. 

  
When she was gone, more silence ensued as Miroku stared at the doorway with an almost inane smile.

  
"She finds me enticing." 

  
Inuyasha and Kagome stared at each other for a moment, before Kagome whispered, "More like enticing with a fork in your head…" under her breath. 

  
"Hey! I heard that!" 

  
Miroku's cry of protest went unnoticed as Inuyasha got up from the table, giving Kagome a commanding gaze. "Be ready in ten minutes. We're going to my company for the day." 

  
The girl blinked her eyes owlishly for a few moments before the words slowly oozed into her mind. "What?" she said intelligently, eyes going wide. "But I don't want to go!" 

  
"Well, who's going to refill my…" Inuyasha stopped to overstate the next word. _"…Coffee…"_ he asked as if it was obvious, pointedly ignoring the cup of coffee left on the table. 

  
"Ask your secretary," Kagome said sharply, a pout already on her face. Wasn't refilling coffee an employee's job, or more directly, a secretary's? She _really_ didn't want to go…Inuyasha's company was about as exciting as reading an encyclopedia. 

  
Inuyasha put a hand dramatically up to his face, shaking his head. "I swear that woman tries to poison me with her coffee…" he muttered, shuddering at the thought of Kikyou's coffee. She might as well have used dirt instead of coffee…

  
"And I thought you would be nice after last night," Kagome mumbled under her breath, scowling conspicuously as she got up from her seat. What had happened to the normal, pleasant man she had almost gotten along with yesterday? He was back to being a jerk now…

  
"You're my _slave_…I believe I'll take full advantage of you for the next two weeks." 

  
Kagome almost growled like a dog as he dared to push her towards the doorway, pointing to her room with one fist on his waist like some mother wannabe. "Get going." 

  
The girl took in a deep breath to calm herself, before whirling around and glaring hotly at the hanyou. "If I had ever told you this before, I must have forgotten, but…you're absolutely the most insufferable person I have ever met." 

  
Inuyasha smirked as he watched Kagome stomp her way upstairs to change out of her pajamas. It was just so much fun to tease and order the girl around…she was the perfect prey. "Sticks and stones, darling…" 

~*~

"Kikyou, tell Kagome to go get me a cup of coffee."

  
"Get it yourself…" Kagome stopped to scowl at the intercom, as if through some mystical powers, he could see her expressions. Then as if forgetting to add a title to her 'master' she whispered, "Freak…" 

  
"I heard that." There was a quick silence. "Now get me coffee."

  
His voice disappeared and Kagome sat in her seat seething, wondering whether she could put hot sauce in his coffee…or cheese…or mothballs. 

  
Her sadistic thoughts were interrupted though as Kikyou got up from her seat and said, "Don't worry. I'll make his coffee. I'm accustomed to it." Kikyou nodded professionally at Kagome and clip-clopped her way to the company's kitchen as Kagome smiled back at the offer. She didn't _really_ want to poison Inuyasha…much. 

  
However, she snickered inwardly as she remembered Inuyasha's comment about Kikyou's coffee being poison. At least that confirmed the fact that he kept her around for more reasons other than a strict appearance and a pretty face. Some companies only kept their secretaries because of their wicked coffee skills and illicit love affairs…

  
Wait…hmm…

  
Could Inuyasha and Kikyou be having a forbidden love affair like Romeo and Juliet…? That would explain why he would keep her around for other than business relations…

  
Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully. An image of a straight-lipped Kikyou with a playboy Inuyasha…_hmm…_

  
"Never mind," she ruminated out loud, as she leaned back in her chair and slumped into a poor posture, hands folded in her lap. "That's like trying to put an assassin dog and a timid cat in a room and expecting them to become friends." 

  
"That could happen," Kikyou said as she thrust a cup of coffee into Kagome's surprised hands.

  
"If they were drugged…" Kagome added, before remarking, "That was fast." 

  
Kikyou lifted an eyebrow. "Is there supposed to be an art to making coffee? All you have to do is two teaspoons of this, three teaspoons of that, a pinch of whatever, add hot water, and voila." 

  
"I would think Inuyasha would want a…_special_ way of making coffee. I'm surprised he's drinking common coffee." Kagome got up from her seat to walk towards Inuyasha's door, taking a whiff of the musty and jungle-like green smell. She twitched her nose. 

  
It was Kikyou's turn to look surprised. "That isn't common coffee…It's Kopi Luwak* coffee. He bought ten pounds just for himself."

  
Kagome sighed loudly. "Should have known even his coffee has to be premium quality…" She didn't bother knocking as she opened the door to peek inside to large room. It was surprisingly neat and not at all what she would have expected from a room belonging to Inuyasha. She imagined it more…wild. 

  
Ambling in like the place was her own home, Kagome looked impressed at how Inuyasha managed to keep all the phone calls going. Before he had been talking politely to some lady and now his whole personality seemed to have taken a 180 degree turn and he was yelling at somebody else. 

  
"Whatever! Get it fixed right damn _now!_" Inuyasha yelled into the phone before slamming it back into its cradle, slapping some financial report into his face. Kagome could almost hear him take in a deep breath from all the way where she was standing by the door. By the looks of his frustration, no wonder his whole head of hair was white by now. 

  
"Your coffee," she announced casually from where she stood, a bit inwardly uncomfortable about being in a room with an irritated Inuyasha. When rich people got aggravated, she knew rich people went into childish tantrums. 

  
He put the financial report down a bit before regarding Kagome with impassive eyes, patting the spot on the table near his right hand. Kagome sighed and walked over slowly, feeling his eyes on her at all times. She didn't want to stare back into his though. 

  
"You know, I always thought you were lucky to have such a life. You have all the money you could want," Kagome chattered carelessly, deciding that talking would make the air around them less tense. She walked next to him and could still see his eyes pinned onto her, and she bit her lower lips a bit before putting down the coffee cup. She turned to walk away as she continued talking, "But sadly, your frustration would be too much for me to ha---"

  
Kagome felt her innocent babble cease as a strong arm suddenly grabbed her around her waist, pulling her down from the force. She made a little 'oomph!' sound as she felt her rear connect with something soft, before it took her a while to realize it was Inuyasha's lap. She instantly snapped her face to stare at the grinning man and she could feel her own blood boil as she was well aware of the arm still around her. "Let go," she commanded firmly, already lifting her arms up in a stance to slap him if he made further movement. 

  
"What if I don't want to?" he challenged, the annoying grin still on his lips. "What would you do?" 

  
She slapped him.

  
Forget about further movement. She might as well slap him for even holding her in such a way and for those vulgar words. 

  
_"Let go_," she repeated, well aware of the flaming red that must be evident on her cheeks. She felt like she was burning up and it must be absolutely delightful to watch her, since Inuyasha seemed to have disregarded the slap and was only grinning like the mad man he was. 

  
"You forgot to add a little bit to that sentence…"

  
Kagome nearly hissed like a cat. "…_Master,_" she snapped in distaste, but instantly felt the arms around her loosen. That was all the incentive needed for her to shoot up from his lap and whirl around to glare hard at him, before stomping her way to the door. 

  
She turned around one more time to shoot one last comment, "You are the most irritable man on the face of this planet." 

  
However, she didn't walk out of the room fast enough to miss his answer.

  
"And you are the most irresistible woman…" 

~*~ 

"He is so…argh."

  
"So… 'argh' ?" 

  
"**_ARGH!_**" 

  
Sango smiled knowingly as the two friends sat in their pajamas on Kagome's bed in Inuyasha's house. Sango had stopped by the house after her work at her parent's extermination company to see how Kagome was doing, but the moment Kagome burst through the front door like the devil was on her tail, Sango knew it had been bad.

  
Especially when the devil with white hair walked through the door smirking. 

  
"Explain how he is so 'argh'?" Sango asked, as she watched her friend munch dangerously hard on a cookie. 

  
Kagome took in a long, deep breath, before bursting out in a rant. "He made me do nothing all day in his company other than get his _coffee_, and when I went in to give him his disgusting coffee, he made a move on me!" Kagome stopped to squeeze her pillow extra hard, while Sango's mind worked like a wonder. 

  
"He pulled me into his lap and who _knows_ what was on his dirty little mind. So I slapped him and after a while, he eventually let me go. The most infuriating thing about the whole ordeal was that he was smirking the whole entire time…and **still** made me get him coffee later on!"

  
Sango couldn't help but laugh, although she stopped at the hurt expression on Kagome's face. "Well…he certainly seems to have taken a liking to you," she said, propping her elbow on her knee and her fist under her chin. 

  
"Not a liking. A lusting," Kagome corrected, before squeezing her pillow harder. "How can I last two weeks! _Two whole weeks!_" 

  
Sango chuckled lightly again. "I'm sorry."

  
Kagome felt like her best friend didn't mean that at all. 

  
Sango continued, "But you know, you're surviving pretty well. Other girls would have stopped resisting him within an hour of meeting the guy. You nearly made it through two days!" 

  
"Oh gee, two days down, twelve more to go." 

  
"Don't be such a pessimist." 

  
Kagome could feel her frustration snap. "Oh yes! Let's be optimistic! I get to spend twelve more days with the world's most irritating man!"

  
"There you go." 

  
Kagome started screaming as she threw the pillow to the ground, holding her head as if it had blown to the size of the whole of Japan. "I can't take Inuyasha! I've never met anyone like the bastard!" 

  
"He's not a bastard. He's actually a pretty good friend if you got to know him," Sango remarked, knowing that in Kagome's own mind, she regarded Inuyasha much like the Black Death. 

  
"Too bad he's not pursuing a friendship, but a one night stand," Kagome said as she grabbed another pillow and stuffed it to her face where she continued some muffled choice words of hers. 

  
"Well then…you're doing good in resisting him. But I have to say, if you really want to get under his skin like he is obviously getting to you, I can relay a secret of his to you."

  
Kagome instantly dropped the pillow and stared at Sango with wide, curious eyes. "You can tell me one of my enemy's weaknesses?"

  
"This isn't a battle, Kagome."

  
"No, it isn't. It's a war for my sanity." 

  
Sango sighed in a resigned manner, before continuing, "Inuyasha can be a businessman with power and persuasion skills. He could be rich and afford nearly anything in this world, but almost everyone suffers from at least one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Inuyasha has envy, pride, lust, and during business moments, wrath. Envy is almost like jealousy…"

  
Kagome stared at Sango with her mouth open, as the words slowly sunk into her head. "Inuyasha suffers from jealousy?" 

  
Sango nodded. "When he can't get some choice things, he gets jealous of those who can. And since you are one of those things that he can't get right now…" 

  
Kagome clapped her hands together with sparkly eyes. "Sango, you are the best friend I have ever had." 

  
"Oh aren't I…" she whispered, knowing that Kagome had forgotten that she was the one who got her into this in the first place. "So all you have to do to even the score is make him jealous, although it might backfire on you…" 

  
"It won't," Kagome said confidently. "The plan is almost too perfect to be real…" 

  
The girl talk was interrupted however by a knock on the door before Hojo opened the door to smile at the two. "Dinner is ready, Inuyasha requests both of you to go down and eat because he has an important announcement." 

  
Kagome and Sango looked at each other before both jumped off the bed and toddled out in their pajamas. It didn't matter that they were eating in their PJs after all because who really wanted to dress all nice for the two guys who would stare like a wolf?

  
They walked towards the dining room, following Hojo as Kagome struggled to think of the plan to accompany the motive. What would make Inuyasha jealous…? She didn't know him enough to really know…

  
Walking into the room, Sango and Kagome saw Miroku and Inuyasha already eating, not bothering to wait for them. Shooting each other an understanding look, they took their places at the table (next to each other) and saw that their dinner and everything else was already on the table. 

  
Kagome was just about to put a spoon of rice into her mouth before Inuyasha coughed extra loud to catch everyone's attention. Kagome put the spoon back down in the bowl and stared at her evil nemesis who always seemed to stare at her a bit longer than he eyed everyone else. It must be his 'important' announcement. 

  
"I guess most of you know about Sesshoumaru. He's holding a 'beach party' the day after tomorrow and Father has _specifically told me that I **should**_ go and to bring any friends and acquaintances." Inuyasha scowled at the part where he had said his father had told him he 'should' go, although Sango and Miroku were almost sure his father had had to threaten him to actually go to a party held by Sesshoumaru. 

  
It wasn't that the two were on the bad terms, but they were definitely not on good terms either. 

  
"So yea---Miroku, Sango, slave---don't make any plans on Friday night because we'll have to go."

  
Kagome instantly opened her mouth to say something back. "Why do I have to go?" 

  
Inuyasha just slanted her a dark look. "Because I said so," he answered, as if it was obvious. "Anyway, that's all I have to say. It isn't too formal." 

  
Kagome was about to get up from her seat before Sango kept her pinned down, shooting her a plain glare, saying sentences in that small glare. Kagome looked confused for a moment before Sango commented as nonchalantly as possible, "It'll be the perfect opportunity…" 

  
Kagome opened her mouth in a little 'o' as she understood.

  
This didn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha however, and being curious as he was, he asked, "Perfect opportunity for what?"

  
Kagome turned to smile at him---the syrupy, sugary smile she used when she had an ulterior motive. "To meet your brother. I _always_ thought he was such a great idol…"

  
At the disgusted look on Inuyasha's face, Kagome decided to finish the sentence.

  
"…And although he's married, he _is_ so _very, very_ hot…Don't you agree, Inuyasha?" 

  
"Hell no." 

  
Kagome giggled inwardly at the almost upset expression on the hanyou's face. Operation Jealousy was already underway… Kagome put the spoon of rice in her mouth and couldn't help the small grin hidden behind the spoon, staring intently at Inuyasha across the table.

  
"I really can't wait for the party…master…" 

  
***

A/N: More updates for my other stories will begin soon…but be patient for now.  


* Kopi Luwak - Most expensive coffee in the world. Only around 500 lbs of it are made each year. It costs 75 dollars for a quarter pound.   



	7. Ex Marks the Spot

**Author's Note:** Here's the first half of the party… Sorry to those early readers who read the extremely messed version. The lower half is edited to stop myself from contradicting myself. (I had put Hojo as the ex...when he was also the butler. LOL)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**As You Wish  
  
VII. Ex Marks the Spot  
  
**   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next two days passed as any day had passed. Inuyasha had dragged Kagome to his office to make him coffee and Kagome had actually tried making it once and put in one teaspoon of sugar instead of three, just to spite him. He just seemed a little annoyed before he ordered her to go make him as many more cups of coffee as she needed before she got it right. It frustrated her, but she realized she might as well stop fanning the flame and just make his coffee so that he would leave her alone.  
  
  
  
They had the same 'amusing' conversations (courtesy of Miroku) over the dinner table, this time around about the wonders of skinny-dipping. No one was surprised when Miroku said he wanted to try it and invited Sango and Kagome along. Of course, Inuyasha and Sango had promptly injured him at his mere mention of the suggestion.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome got into little fights though, like over the pettiest things concerning which car to drive to the company. Other than that, the most brightening thing about the whole two days was Sango bringing to the house the largest collection of high heels Kagome had ever seen. Sango had said that with her collection, they wouldn't even need to worry about the shoes not matching with the dresses they were going to wear to Sesshoumaru's party.  
  
  
  
Perhaps Kagome could have enjoyed her stay more if the hanyou would stop exploiting her abilities. Hadn't the guy ever heard of 'cruel and unusual punishments?' She guessed not because he seemed to love specializing in it.  
  
  
  
But tonight was the night and Kagome and Sango was in Sango's guest room which she lived in whenever she stayed over. Along with her large collection of shoes, Sango had also brought along a few dozen dresses, which she claimed had all been for Kagome to choose from, since Kagome had only brought along nothing special to wear.  
  
  
  
Of course, put two friends in a room with dozens of shoes and dresses and the men might as well wait two hours for them to choose an outfit.  
  
  
  
"Do you like this one…?" Kagome asked as she admired herself in the vanity mirror in Sango's room. Sango had already dressed up, choosing her outfit the other day. She wore a simple and pretty much concealing black dress laced with magenta ribbons. The dress went half way between her ankles and her knees and her hair was just tied up in a simple ponytail as well.  
  
  
  
Kagome however, had problems even containing her excitement at all the different styles of dresses she could try on. Thank god her best friend's parents owned an extremely successful company…  
  
  
  
"_But considering how rich they are, you would think Sango could pay five thousand dollars from losing in a bet…but I suppose even if I was that rich, I wouldn't want to pay five thousand dollars just for losing…_" Kagome thought as she twirled around in the blue dress.  
  
  
  
"No, the blue color is too bright. It's almost neon," Sango commented as she covered her eyes a bit, shooing Kagome along to take off the horrendous thing. "I don't even know why I have that."  
  
  
  
Kagome shrugged as she went through the pile of dresses, looking for another one. She held up a black dress that was completely too frilly at the hems, and the two girls winced. "I think I got that from one of my aunts for my birthday…" Sango explained weakly as they both went through the dresses once more.  
  
  
  
It took a few atrocious dresses and mumbled explanations before Sango finally found the dress she had been looking for. Making an 'uh-huh!' sound, she pulled out a pale pink dress. "This is perfect!" Sango cried excitedly and shoved it into Kagome's hands. "Try it on!"  
  
  
  
Kagome blinked as she was pushed towards the bathroom by her best friend, before the door closed shut behind her and a muffled, "Hurry! We still need to do your hair!" was heard.  
  
  
  
Sighing, she slipped into the pink dress and gazed at herself in the mirror. Surprisingly, it looked pretty decent on her, although it would have done much more justice on someone like Sango. The pale pink dress was tied halter style around her neck and was tight around her stomach, only to flow like silk that went down to her ankles.  
  
  
  
Kagome smiled a bit as she twirled in front of the mirror, watching the material flow around her. Okay, whoever gave Sango this dress, whether it be the grandmother, the second grandmother, the aunt, the second aunt, the third aunt, or whichever grandmother and aunt she had---they definitely had good tastes.   
  
  
  
Stepping out of the door, she fell victim to a stifled squeal of delight from her friend. "You look beautiful, Kagome," Sango commented and smiled.  
  
  
  
"I don't look beautiful. I look decent," Kagome countered and walked over to her best friend as Sango motioned her over, taking out her gigantic collection of shoes.  
  
  
  
"You're too modest," Sango stated as she quickly took out all the pink pairs of heels she owned, totaling a good seven. "Now, choose."  
  
  
  
"I can use my own, you kno---"  
  
  
  
"Just choose!"  
  
  
  
Kagome laughed a bit at Sango's demand and looked at the seven different shoes, before picking out a random one. Holding the low heels that sparkled a bit from the studded jewels on it, she tried it on and saw that it fit perfectly.  
  
  
  
Standing up, she twirled around once more and looked at Sango for her opinion.  
  
  
  
"Absolutely stunning, gorgeous," Sango said, adopting one of those professional stylist's voice. "Now we go to Inuyasha's hairstylist. She'll make your hair absolutely perfect!"  
  
  
  
Kagome giggled a bit as Sango pulled her up to take her to the hairstylist. Really, did all rich people do these things? If it was her, she would just brush her hair a few times, then be off.  
  
  
  
It was just so hard looking good for society…  
  
  
  
Did she really want to go to this 'party' ?  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
The distance between Kagome's face and the window was a mere inch as she stared at the gigantic mansion manifesting right in front of her eyes. Her mouth was wide open as she stared at the humungous structure that looked to be almost twice the size of Inuyasha's own 'house.'  
  
  
  
She knew Sesshoumaru was the Youkai Minister of Tokyo and all, but did all rich people spend their money on such extravagant and intricate things? She could almost kill to own even Inuyasha's house…  
  
  
  
"It's so pretty…" she whispered as they pulled up to the gate that was overflowing with reporters and various fans of the famous people who had gathered at Sesshoumaru's beachside manor that day.  
  
  
  
The flashes blinded her eyes and she moved her face from the tinted windows, settling back in her seat. Inuyasha, who was sitting across from her, looked slightly amused as he gazed intently at her with raised eyebrows.  
  
  
  
"Anyone would know you were raised from humble backgrounds by the way you're so excited…" Inuyasha said, as he turned his face away to look out his own window as the driver started driving into the road that stretched towards the manor.  
  
  
  
However, Inuyasha's audience seemed to be distracted as she shoved her face back to the window, trying to point to something or someone near the beach. "Oh my god! Is that Kagura Kitao I see from here!?"  
  
  
  
"I think all we have here is another crazed fan in the car…" Inuyasha commented lightly as he watched Kagome pull on Sango's sleeve and try to point to somebody far away. It was a miracle she could even see from the car. But from years of experience, Inuyasha knew fangirls' eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. They could see their prey from a mile away. "She seems to be smitten with all members of my family except me…" he added as an afterthought.  
  
  
  
"That's because you don't show or give any reasons for me to be 'smitten' with you," Kagome snapped since she had only caught his last line, shooting a deadly glare from where she was situated. Once she had made it known that she could hear any and every little single thing from then on said about her, Inuyasha only rolled his eyes behind her back and reclined back into the seat in the car, staring out the window into the looming darkness.  
  
  
  
It was a good few moments of silence (only disrupted by the squeak of delight from Kagome who saw other celebrities pulling up in the driveway, or the occasional slap at Miroku from Sango when he made a pass for her rear) until they arrived in front of the house in all its glamour.  
  
  
  
Guests were being ushered into the front door while Kagome caught a glimpse of lanterns strung along umbrellas in the beach next to Sesshoumaru's manor with women in tiny bikinis strutting in the sand. She looked away to eye the entrance of the manor, catching glimpses of the interior. Contrast to Inuyasha's modern chic flare decorating, the elder brother's was all about elegance and sophistication. Kagome found herself bouncing in her seat in anticipation as the escort came to open their doors, with Kagome being the first to rush out of the confines.  
  
  
  
If she had thought before that she had never wanted to come here, she must have been mistaken. Going to a party and being surrounded by celebrities was a once in a lifetime chance, and damn her if she would allow Inuyasha to ruin her evening among the stars.  
  
  
  
"Let's go, let's go!" Kagome whispered as she tugged at Sango's arms, her eyes sparkling from the lights that shone from inside.  
  
  
  
"Calm down, lioness," Inuyasha said as he put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, which she promptly frowned deeply at. Retracting his hand, he said, "You guys have to enter with me as my three guests or they're going to think you're an intruder and arrest you."  
  
  
  
"We know the drill, Inuyasha," Sango drawled as she eyed the entrance warily, as if afraid to step inside. "We know everything we have to do." Sango gazed over at Kagome, before moving her glance to Inuyasha, saying, "But Kagome doesn't…"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha stared at the girl, who was gawking at guests she recognized who were walking towards the front door. He sighed resignedly as he pulled Kagome to the side, motioning for her to just follow him without putting up resistance. She resisted a bit anyway, pulling her arm away from his grasps. When they were a bit secluded from the other guests, Inuyasha filled her in.  
  
  
  
"Okay, when you enter that door, everything you see around you will not be what you think it will be. Do not accept any drinks from any men, no matter how innocent or nice they are. Try to avoid any topics about what family you come from or how much money you have. If anyone asks you who you are, just say you're a friend of Inuyasha's alright?"  
  
  
  
Kagome gazed at the hanyou from under her eyelashes, her blue eyes accusing. "Why do you want me to say I'm your friend? Wouldn't you want to embarrass me and force me to say I'm your slave?"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha pretended to seriously contemplate that thought, before he shrugged. "I'm not going to feed you to the sharks." He smirked, adding, "…Yet."  
  
  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes at the man, before nodding slightly, showing that she understood what she had to do although she didn't completely understand. It was just a simple party after all, right?  
  
  
  
Inuyasha nodded as well and started dragging her back to Miroku and Sango who were waiting. Just before earshot however, the hanyou whispered in an almost ominous voice, "Nobody is ever who they seem. It's up to the person to choose whether to believe the lie or not…"  
  
  
  
Kagome blinked at those words, but she didn't have time to ask as Inuyasha started moseying towards the door in a cool, calm and collected stance, stopping right at the attendant. "Inuyasha Kitao with his three guests," he announced, waving a hand over at Miroku, Sango and Kagome.  
  
  
  
The attendant went down his clipboard of names before finding Inuyasha's and crossing it off. Smiling as he faced the brother of his employee, he welcomed them in and moved aside. Inuyasha nodded roughly and strolled in, followed by a composed Sango and Miroku, and a stunned and dazed Kagome.  
  
  
  
"I feel like I'm living the life of a movie star…" Kagome whispered in a breathless voice, her eyes drinking in the different sights of the house as lights sparkled from the chandelier in the middle of the hallway. Then as if struck by a bat, she looked breathless. "Oh, my, god…it's Sesshoumaru!" she managed to squeak out, her mouth wide open again.  
  
  
  
Saying she didn't care about a celebrity was much more different than actually being in the presence of one…and Kagome was learning that very lesson.  
  
  
  
"Hello, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru greeted as he walked up composedly to his younger brother, who instantly assumed a frown.  
  
  
  
"Hello," Inuyasha shot back with as much enthusiasm as Sesshoumaru.  
  
  
  
"I see you have as many manners as the last time I met you," Sesshoumaru commented flippantly as he eyed Inuyasha's companions. "…None."  
  
  
  
"And you're still the very same bastard I've known my whole life," Inuyasha remarked casually, as if this was the daily conversation exchanged by brothers.  
  
  
  
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru gracefully turned his back at Inuyasha as he started walking to his other guests. Before he began another chat with someone else though, he instructed, "Do whatever you want. Leave whenever you want. Beach is open, food is in the ballroom, your ex girlfriends are flouncing around somewhere…"  
  
  
  
That was about the time Inuyasha looked like he would panic, while looking to his left and right as if to make sure the ex girlfriends didn't suddenly appear. "I think I'll just leave now then," he told no one, unconsciously accepting Sesshoumaru's invite of departure, and turned around, all ready to just saunter out the front door and back to the limo.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha!" a masculine voice cried through the crowd in the foyer and Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, a sound almost like a whimper escaping from his lips.  
  
  
  
Kagome found this all entertaining.  
  
  
  
"How is my favorite son in the whole wide world?"  
  
  
  
"I heard you say that to Sesshoumaru the other week!" Inuyasha cried in indignation, twirling around to face his smirking father.  
  
  
  
"Your imagination," Inuyasha's father quickly filled in as he stopped right in front of his younger son. Then as if wondering where Inuyasha had been going, he looked over the hanyou's shoulder to spy the doorway. "Where were you thinking of going? Definitely not to _leave,_ right?" the older man asked with a hint of suspicion lacing his voice.  
  
  
  
"Of course not," Inuyasha lied, with his big, puppy-dog eyes and all. "I was just trying to find the place with food."  
  
  
  
"They're serving a lot down at the beach. Why don't you go?" Inuyasha's father suggested, smiling broadly at his son and patting the boy on the back. "You sure seem to have grown this past week! What have you been doing?"  
  
  
  
"Getting coffee made for me in the most perfect technique possible…" Inuyasha muttered, flashing Kagome a look from the corner of his eyes. It said a million words.  
  
  
  
She scoffed instantly.  
  
  
  
Hearing the light sound, Inuyasha's father turned to gaze at the three guests with Inuyasha. "Hello Sango, hello Miroku! I haven't seen you both in months. What have the three stooges been up to?"  
  
  
  
Sango laughed as she gave the man a small hug, since she had known the man for most of her life. "We recruited a fourth member in our group. Allow me to introduce you to Higurashi Kagome, my best friend," Sango presented, waving a hand over to Kagome who was staring at Inuyasha's father with a sense of awe and respect. After all, this was the president of the most successful company in Tokyo.  
  
  
  
"Hello Miss. Higurashi. Are you Inuyasha's friend?" he questioned pleasantly, holding out a hand to shake with the woman's. "I'm his father, Kitao Inutaisho."  
  
  
  
"Who wouldn't know you Mr. Kitao?" Kagome answered as she smiled and shook the hand extended to her. With a quick glance from the corner of her eyes at Inuyasha, she said, "Yes, I'm a friend of Inuyasha's."  
  
  
  
There was a twinkle of something in the eyes of the man as he smirked at Kagome, a ghost of Inuyasha's own smirk. "A friend, eh?"  
  
  
  
"Well, I wouldn't mind whacking him over the head from time to time…or pushing him into the pool."  
  
  
  
Inuyasha grumbled at that, but didn't stop his father was talking to the girl.  
  
  
  
"Did he try anything back?" Inuyasha's father asked amusedly, evaluating the girl secretly.  
  
  
  
"Well that's where the coffee comes in."  
  
  
  
Inutaisho laughed good-naturedly. He liked this girl. "I haven't heard of the name Higurashi before…what company do you own?"  
  
  
  
Kagome blinked once. She blinked again. What was she supposed to answer this time?  
  
  
  
"Father, really, you're disturbing my guests," Inuyasha cut in quickly, and put a clawed hand lightly on Kagome's upper arm. He turned to smile sweetly at her, the fakeness dripping like syrup off of the expression. "You wanted to go to the beach, right?"  
  
  
  
Kagome continued staring at him, suppressing the urge to shudder as she felt a prickle erupt from the place Inuyasha was touching her. It wasn't a good shudder. "Yes," she whispered quietly, passively, as she suddenly---almost completely out of nowhere--- realized that there was a colossal social status difference between Inuyasha and her. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, but by that simple, innocent question, it just seemed more…real. It finally surfaced and slapped her in the face.  
  
  
  
No wonder Sango was only enthusiastic about dressing her up for the party, and not keen about the party itself. At these parties, it wasn't crazy music playing, it wasn't girls mindlessly flirting with boys (although it was still present from time to time…in the form of seduction) and it definitely wasn't swapping information about the 'cutest guy in the whole entire world,' or who kissed who last night.  
  
  
  
At these parties, it was all about power and status. In a conversation with one of these businessmen, and even the celebrities, everyone compared themselves to the person they were talking to. Arrogance was at an all-time high in this place, and as she looked around, Kagome realized for the first time, that everything was fake. No one was who they seemed at first sight. That was what Inuyasha had been trying to tell her before.  
  
  
  
She suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all.  
  
  
  
"I…I think I need fresh air," she mumbled softly as she felt the hand on her upper arm let go.  
  
  
  
"Kagome…? Are you alright…?" Sango asked in concern, her wide, troubled eyes coming into view as she brushed Inuyasha's grip off of her best friend. "You do look a little pale…"  
  
  
  
Kagome blinked as Sango started dragging her towards the door without a second thought, Miroku and Inuyasha trotting after them like faithful puppies. Inuyasha's father was left blinking in the foyer, his bright, golden eyes reflecting off light from the chandelier above, confused.  
  
  
  
Kagome groaned a bit as she put a hand up to her face when they hit the salty sea air. This instantly set off the mother hen bells in Sango and the girls gently pried Kagome's hands away, staring straight into her best friend's eyes. "What's wrong?"  
  
  
  
Kagome shook her off, wanting some distance between Sango and herself. It wasn't that she didn't need comfort, but she just needed space. "That question set off a string of overwhelming information," Kagome tried to explain in the right words, although they didn't seem right. "It's amazing what a simple question can do sometimes."  
  
  
  
"My father can do that to people without even trying sometimes," Inuyasha muttered from behind her, and Kagome twirled around to meet the hanyou. He was glancing at her rather seriously for once, a frown gracing his face as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Just don't answer the question and you're fine…I think he likes you. But he wouldn't if he knew you were just a normal, dirt-rich girl."  
  
  
  
"_Hey!_" Kagome instantly cried in offense. "I'll have you know I have enough money to sustain!"  
  
  
  
There was a meaningful cough coming from Miroku and Sango's direction. Kagome frowned.  
  
  
  
"Yea, yea, then when you hit rock bottom, you come crawling to me to lend you money," Inuyasha snapped back, his usual cockiness resurfacing as the side of his lips twisted up.  
  
  
  
Kagome shot him a deadpan glare. "You'll love to see that day, wouldn't you?" she asked evenly, her gaze never relenting from his.  
  
  
  
He obviously took that as a challenge and happily stared right back. "Of course, I would," he informed cheekily.  
  
  
  
Kagome smiled. "Maybe if you dreamt a little harder," she quipped.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha was just about to open his mouth and shoot something back, but Kagome was distracted when someone yelled her name out of nowhere.  
  
  
  
"Kagome? Kagome! Kagome!!!"  
  
  
  
She blinked owlishly again as she looked over Inuyasha's shoulders, seeing some man in trunks smiling like he had won a million bucks and waving his hands all over the air to get her attention. Squinting as the man approached her, his feet kicking sand into the air, Kagome gasped in genuine surprise.  
  
  
  
"Kouga!?"  
  
  
  
The man ran up to her, unconsciously standing right in front of Inuyasha and thus, blocked the hanyou from the girl. His chest was heaving as he tried to calm his brown hair a bit, the wide smile still on his face as he struggled for air. "Hey Kagome! I haven't seen you since forever!"  
  
  
  
Kagome's eyes twinkled happily as she stared at the familiar face. "It has been years!" she agreed, already forgetting about the argument with Inuyasha.   
  
  
  
Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha all looked confused and bewildered as they stared at the two conversing as if they knew each other really well. They probably did too. After a few minutes of rapid chatter and the ignoring of the three, Inuyasha coughed really loudly and stopped the talking almost at once.  
  
  
  
Kagome looked over Kouga's shoulder this time and narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. Turning to gaze at her friend, she pointed over to Sango. "That's my best friend I met at college, Sango. The guy next to her is my other best friend in college, Miroku." Kagome's smile faltered when she pointed at Inuyasha. "…And that one is Inuyasha, a _friend._"  
  
  
  
Sango and Miroku smiled politely, but Inuyasha only crossed his arms across his chest and glared at this 'Kouga.'  
  
  
  
Kagome seemed to overlook Inuyasha's apparent bad mood and made a gesture over to her friend. "Everyone, this is Kouga, one of my best friends in high school."  
  
  
  
Kouga smirked as he threw an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "And ex-boyfriend," he said.. "Nice to meet you all."  
  
  
  
There was that uncomfortable silence again.  
  
  
  
While all of this was happening, women ran around the group, giggling and laughing in their bikinis. Miroku was momentarily distracted by this, but a quick pinch from Sango brought him back to reality. "Ex…?" he echoed, voicing everyone's question over the tense air.  
  
  
  
The only one oblivious to the strain was Kouga himself.  
  
  
  
"Yep! We dated back in our high school years," Kouga provided easily and continued smiling like he couldn't see the sudden death glare directed at him from Inuyasha, who looked about ready to pounce and tear.  
  
  
  
It was Kagome's turn to slowly mutate from pink cheeks into a tomato. "I thought you would have forgotten that," she whispered as she shuffled her feet in the sand, almost shyly. "It was only for two weeks anyway."  
  
  
  
Sango made a face at Miroku and Miroku returned the favor with a pinch on the butt. This led to a quick round of slaps before she nudged her chin towards Kouga and Inuyasha.  
  
  
  
"How could I forget one of the most beautiful girls I've had the joy of dating, even if it was only for two weeks?" Kouga questioned as he turned his attention to Kagome again, still unaware of the intensified death glare directed right at the back of his head. Ignorance was bliss in his case.  
  
  
  
Kagome heard what suspiciously sounded like 'Ugly!' erupt from the sudden cough attack Inuyasha had. She narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha again, before taking Kouga slowly by the wrist, which Inuyasha saw like a predator on prey. "I think we're in the presence of a person who listens into conversations where he isn't concerned," she snapped sharply, pointedly keeping eye contact with the hanyou. "Want to go talk at the pier?"  
  
  
  
Kouga widened his eyes before his smirk grew larger. "If you want," he answered submissively. "Have I told you, you look twice as beautiful as I remember you tonight?" he echoed as Kagome pulled him gently towards the pier.  
  
  
  
This left three friends standing inertly on the sand (with Miroku's eyes slowly drifting off to the bikinis once in a while) as Kagome and Kouga's chatter slowly quieted as they went further away from the group.  
  
  
  
"I don't like that guy," Inuyasha suddenly shot out loud, his frown deepening. There was almost a childish pout on his lips as he kept his sight on the couple entering the pier. "He...did you see the smirk on his face?!."  
  
  
  
"Well yea, I see it on yours everyday too" Sango retorted suddenly, her own frown manifesting as Miroku's hands strayed for a passing woman in a scanty bikini. She slapped his hand harder than usual, which he yelped at, and glared hard.  
  
  
  
"Exactly!" Inuyasha almost whined as his pout grew deeper. "And that smirk doesn't mean anything good."  
  
  
  
Sango rolled her eyes. Was a gentleman really so hard to come by in these times? She slapped Miroku's hand again. Maybe so…  
  
  
  
"I think it's call the genuine act of pride." She pondered for a while, a finger at her chin in thought, before adding, "…Or stupidity. Either one."  
  
  
  
Suddenly however, she covered her eyes like it burned when she saw Inuyasha pull down his pants. "INDECENCY, Inuyasha!" she shrieked and could see from the corner of his eyes that Miroku was staring at the hanyou. "Stop staring, Miroku!" she said, and slapped him for the fiftieth time that night.  
  
  
  
"I have swim trunks on for god's sake, Sango!" Inuyasha responded as he took his Armani suit off, along with the white shirt. He threw it over to Miroku, who caught it clumsily in his hands as his eyes strayed to another pretty woman strolling by. He was going to wander off, but Sango quickly shot a hand out to keep him rooted to his spot.  
  
  
  
"Why are you stripping for?" Sango asked bluntly, as she shot him a dry look.  
  
  
  
"Other than to show off to the ladies," Miroku included as he watched some women catcall at seeing Inuyasha's appreciative tan and solid body. He contemplated whether to strip as well or not.  
  
  
  
"Don't even think about it," Sango hissed, as if reading his mind. The look on his face reminded her of a wounded puppy, but she was immune to such faces. She was an expert at reading every single expression on Miroku's face. This one was only asking for pity to satisfy his lust.  
  
  
  
She turned to Inuyasha, and saw him walking towards the pier. Yelling after him, she said, "What the hell are you doing!?" She let go of Miroku's sleeve for that single moment as she tippy-toed to see over a tall man walking across the sand and blocking her view of the hanyou.  
  
  
  
"Making sure the wench doesn't get herself molested!" Inuyasha answered back gruffly, and Sango slapped a palm to her forehead. Typical man behavior.  
  
  
  
Typical_ jealous_ man behavior.  
  
  
  
"Good job, Kagome. You're actually getting to him without even knowing it…" Sango whispered, and turned around to confront Miroku about his little 'woman problem' before noticing she was alone…  
  
  
  
No Miroku.  
  
  
  
She looked from left to right, searching for the lecher. But there was no sign of him anywhere, and the beach wasn't exactly an alone place. It was crowded with bikinis and trunks…so he must have hidden from her in the sea of women. Wouldn't he just love to get away?  
  
  
  
She cracked her knuckles. "Hide from me, eh? Ready or not…here I come."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: I hope you liked it. I just find the little cute humorous moments in this story adorable…Call me strange if you have to. ^__^  
  
Sorry about the confusion with Hojo. I grew as flaming red as Kagome when I realized my obvious, stupid mistake. Blah.  
  



	8. See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Author's Notes: Sorry about the late update. Writer's block.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**As You Wish  
  
VIII. See No Evil, Hear No Evil  
  
**   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What have you been up to since I left, Kagome?" Kouga asked as he guided the lady down the pier, blending in with the other couples around them. Although not holding hands, he had linked his arms with hers and was a grinning and beaming man. "I suppose you have a reason for being at a party like this?"  
  
  
  
Kagome smiled a bit at his words._ Oh do I ever have a reason… _"Why don't you tell me first? I'm sure your story would be much more interesting."  
  
  
  
Kouga shrugged and nearing the end of the pier, they stopped to just watch the dark waters over the railings. Kagome let go of his arm and looked down, hearing the waves crash against the pillars holding up the pier. She pondered how deep it was, but decided that it was definitely more than twenty feet by the looks of how far they were from shore. Turning her attention back to her ex, she smiled and waited for his story.  
  
  
  
"Well, you know how I always visited my grandpa from my father's side of the family when I was small? Well, turns out the old man had a ridiculous amount of money saved in his bank that he had somehow forgotten. When he croaked, it went to my father. My father used the money to start a small business, and it prospered." Kouga smiled as he looked over at Kagome with his canines sticking out from his lips. Kagome had always loved that small cute aspect of him when they were going out.  
  
  
  
Kagome blinked for a few moments before staring at the wolf demon, as if he was one of the world wonders. "Really…?" she managed to say eventually.  
  
  
  
"Yup! We're rich now."  
  
  
  
A bright smile appeared on the woman's face. "I'm so happy for you!" she cried, and hugged him instantly, cheerful that her friend had managed to achieve his dream of becoming rich. Not many people were that lucky; Exhibit A, Kagome. "You deserve it!"  
  
  
  
"I suppose. Now, dad just wants me to find a wife before he dies and follows mom," Kouga said as he shrugged and looked out at the ocean. "He's getting old."  
  
  
  
Kagome's delight was abruptly torn away when she heard that. Kouga's father had been so nice to her, and although the two hardly stayed together for two weeks, the man had understood and still treated her the same, even if she had broken his son's heart. The old man just had a charm that drew Kouga's friend to him, and he was dying soon?  
  
  
  
"I'll have to see him again before he goes," Kagome whispered and smiled sadly at the wolf demon, looking down at the waves far below. "I missed him all these years anyway."  
  
  
  
Kouga chuckled a bit. "Yea, he's missed you too. He asked me what happened to the girl who use to always come over and clean the fridge of oden."  
  
  
  
This sent the couple into laughs as they remembered the old times. Kagome felt tired standing and jumped onto the railing, sitting on the wooden contraption while Kouga shot out a hand to steady her. This made Kagome laugh again as she recalled the one time Kouga and her had tried to jump the fence to his house, where she had got stuck on. Kouga had to hold her steady while she gathered her courage to jump down from the height.  
  
  
  
Those seemed like the simple days.  
  
  
  
Now she was stuck with an idiot.  
  
  
  
This only sent her into a grimace.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
A pair of golden eyes narrowed at the couple from behind a lamp fixed on the pier, his golden eyes flashing abnormally brightly in the night. Girls walking past were staring at him, wondering if the hunk without a shirt on was indeed Inuyasha.  
  
  
  
"No, I'm his stunt double to deceive foolish women like you," he had snapped impatiently when a girl went up to him and actually asked.  
  
  
  
She had sniffed disdainfully and muttered, "You aren't as hot as the real Inuyasha is anyway. You're not as sexy either." Then she and her group of friends had walked back towards the shore, throwing dirty looks at the 'stunt double.'  
  
  
  
Inuyasha however, hardly gave a damn as he continued spying on the two, watching them stop at a spot and start talking happily…too happily. How come she never talked like that with him? Okay, so maybe she hated him, but she shouldn't let her emotions get in the way. That was just stupid of her.  
  
  
  
He tried to hear what the two were talking about, but even with his hearing, the waves and random talking from other people was making it impossible. All he could do was watch as Kagome suddenly threw herself onto the wolf, hugging him as if he was her lifeline, or at least that was what it looked like to him.  
  
  
  
A vein appeared on his forehead, as he growled. _His_ slave shouldn't be flinging her body all over other men, unless she had his permission. And the only man she could actually fling herself at was him, so she shouldn't be such a flirt!  
  
  
  
"Stupid wolf," Inuyasha snarled as he diverted his gaze to Kouga who was looking serious as he told Kagome something. Inuyasha could make out a pitying look from the girl and that immediately sent some waves throughout his body, seemingly coming from his heart. Okay, what the hell were these emotions?  
  
  
  
"Jealous?" a voice asked smoothly, and this caused Inuyasha to twirl around and see a smug Miroku, making a grab for a passing girl's ass. She only giggled and playfully slapped his hand away, before walking away. This made Miroku sigh happily.  
  
  
  
"Jealous? Me? Why would I be jealous?" Inuyasha scoffed, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly and turning a nose up.  
  
  
  
"Because it seems some old love dies hard," Miroku mumbled, his attention being driven away by a girl with a big bust and a skimpy bikini walking by. After she was gone however, Miroku coughed and looked coolly at the hanyou with a raised eyebrow, which implied a lot. "Don't you think Kouga and Kagome still have some things?"  
  
  
  
"Uhh…no."  
  
  
  
Miroku sighed dramatically. "She may have said they had a relationship in high school, but by the way she blushes and smiles around him, wouldn't that indicate some hidden meaning?" Miroku motioned over to the couple down the pier, as Kouga had his hands on the girl's waist as she sat down on the railing. "See what I mean? She looks like she's still in love with him."  
  
  
  
"Get real," Inuyasha retorted sharply, although he was staring like a hawk at the pair. "They're just friends."  
  
  
  
"With benefits," Miroku added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and a smirk on his face. "Those are the best," he sighed again, winking at a passing group of girls who squealed and started blushing.  
  
  
  
A little part of Inuyasha began believing Miroku as he watched Kagome giggle and kick her legs under her pink dress. Why was that stupid girl sitting on the railing in a dress? Miroku couldn't be correct, right? She couldn't like that…that…wimpy piece of wolf, right? "Keh, it still doesn't give me any reasons to be jealous."  
  
  
  
"You like her."  
  
  
  
It had been said so simply from Miroku, Inuyasha nearly sputtered indignantly. How could that pervert accuse him of liking that girl? She was not in the least pretty, and definitely couldn't compare to some of the girls he could get. And most of her, he would _not_ be jealous if that wolf still liked someone like her. He might as well take her away, and he wouldn't even look back at her. Well, she could go off with the wolf after her two weeks with him anyway.  
  
  
  
"I do _not!_"  
  
  
  
"There's such a thing as being in denial. Who wouldn't like Kagome? There were many admirers in college," Miroku replied without hesitation, saying his words effortlessly, as if he was born to tell Inuyasha these words. "Trust me, something draws men to her. Kouga doesn't look any different. I heard he's looking for a wife as well."  
  
  
  
"Do I look like I really give a damn?" Inuyasha snapped in irritation, still narrowing his eyes dangerously at Kagome, who by now was joined by Kouga on the railing. A strange, new tick had started in the hanyou's eyes.  
  
  
  
"In fact, you do look like you give a damn," Miroku said as he turned around to gaze back at the walkway, making sure a certain long-haired female friend of his wasn't catching up on his scent. She was dangerous when she was mad…but that made her irresistibly sexy as well. "Admit it. You're jealous. You like her. You _want_ her."  
  
  
  
"Say whatever you want, you perverted bastard, but I am not jealous. I don't like her, and why would I want a woman like her? She doesn't have any curves whatsoever." He huffed crossly and twisted around, walking back to the shore. "And just to prove to you that I'm not jealous or whatever shit you want to spew out of your mouth, I'll leave her alone to get molested."  
  
  
  
Miroku chuckled amusedly. "She has more chance of being molested by you than by Kouga." The comment got Miroku a dark glare, courtesy of the hanyou, as Inuyasha walked back in a carefree manner, his hands supporting the back of his head.  
  
  
  
The other man watched the hanyou with a blank expression on his face, before Inuyasha disappeared into the crowd. Once he was gone, Miroku chuckled even louder as he grinned widely. It certainly looked like his plans to get Inuyasha and Kagome together were going along great. The hanyou was appropriately jealous, just the way he had heard the girls say when he had been standing outside their door, eavesdropping.  
  
  
  
"Now with just a few more 'accidents,' those two can get together like the happy, obstinate couple they should be."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
He reclined back upon the sunbathing chair, even if there wasn't any sun out at night. He had put his sunglasses over his eyes so that others wouldn't have to see his deadly gaze pinpointed at a couple walking back from the pier. The pineapple smoothie was being sucked up like it was going up a vacuum, and one clawed hand was tapping impatiently against the metal of the sunbathing chair.  
  
  
  
But was he jealous? Oh no, of course not. He was just annoyed that the girl was flirting with someone she shouldn't be flirting with. Why shouldn't she be flirting with that wimpy wolf? Simple; that wolf was not good news.  
  
  
  
Miroku was wrong. It did not bother a bit that her childhood sweetheart had returned, or that she _seemed_ to still have feelings for him. Inuyasha didn't even care that they had linked arms and she was laughing happily, as he could tell even from that distance. Inuyasha never got jealous; people got jealous of Inuyasha, but he just never got jealous of anyone else…especially not some strange wolf idiot.  
  
  
  
He slammed his empty glass of pineapple smoothie down on the glass stand next to him, and yelled, "Hey butler, I want a damn strawberry smoothie now!" He snorted as he watched the butler scramble to give him his smoothie, while Kagome and Kouga left the pier and was walking towards him, or at least in his direction.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha wondered if she even saw him, but by the looks of their talking and laughing, she could have been blind and deaf to a sudden bomb hitting the pier and blowing it to smithereens. This got him annoyed, just because she was _his_ slave and should be tending to _his_ needs, and not some wolf's.  
  
  
  
"Hey bitch," he shot out when she was near enough to hear him, and several women around him had turned around with appalled looks on their faces, wondering if he was talking to them. However, Inuyasha was only glaring at Kagome, who looked surprised a bit before turning her head to look at Inuyasha.  
  
  
  
Her happy smile was instantly off as she lifted a dull eyebrow and replied, "What do you want," in a flat voice. This only infuriated him more.  
  
  
  
He picked up the glass of strawberry smoothie and poured it into the sand, reminding himself that this was almost awfully like the other time when he had done the same with the lemonade. The reaction from her however, was only the same, dry stare. "It seems my smoothie has been dropped. I want more…specifically delivered by you.'  
  
  
  
This caused some hint of anger to appear in her sapphire eyes as a frown graced her face. "Excuse me, but that's what butlers are for. I might be…in your service…" she hissed, before continuing, "but it doesn't give you the right to exploit me in any unfair manner. And haven't we been through this? You dropped it, so why don't you get it yourself. This could get old and ugly again."  
  
  
  
Kouga was watching this exchange with an interested look on his face, although his wasn't the only one as several other people were gazing as well. Sango had stomped over at just the right time, having failed to find the pervert (yet), and was watching the argument blandly. Here we go again.  
  
  
  
"Slaves are used to take advantage of…not waste. And we have been through it, so you might as well give up and get me that smoothie." He didn't know why, but now he noticed that every time he argued with her, it would send an adrenaline rush through his body. Was that normal?  
  
  
  
There was a collective gasp from a few in the crowd at the word, 'slave', and Kagome went red. "You were the one who told me to say you were my friend. Hypocrite!"  
  
  
  
"I didn't say _I_ couldn't say you were my…_slave._" A smirk was on his face. "Anyway, you should stop flirting with every guy you meet anyway."  
  
  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kagome squealed in a high voice, the red in her face only getting brighter. "I'm not flirting with anybody!"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha shot a deadpan glare over at Kouga, who sent it back when he realized it was directed at him. So this hanyou was the bastard Kagome had been talking about that was mean to her? Anybody mean to Kagome wasn't a friend in his book.  
  
  
  
Kagome let out an exasperated sigh when she saw where he was getting at. She had noticed the crowd they were attracting anyway, and just didn't feel like arguing with the idiot. She might as well just give him his damn smoothie and go along her way, avoiding Inuyasha like the plague.  
  
  
  
Stomping over to a butler, she grabbed a cup of smoothie and went over to Inuyasha with a huge glower. Slamming the cup down on the glass table, she was about to turn around and go on with Kouga, before the infuriating hanyou's voice reached her ears again. "You forgot the umbrella, dear. I don't drink smoothies without a little umbrella."  
  
  
  
All she could do to keep her temper in check was take in a deep breath, walk over to the butler again, grab one of those cheap umbrellas, and then stomp over and plop it in the smoothie. There was a grin on Inuyasha's face as he took the cup and smirked nastily over at her, without even a 'thank you' as he put his sunglasses over his eyes again and sipped the juice.  
  
  
  
Kagome could feel her hands curl themselves into a fist as she went back over to Kouga, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the mansion. She said loudly, just enough so that Inuyasha could hear, "Let's dance!"  
  
  
  
This caused Inuyasha to stop sipping on his smoothie for a single second, before the loud slurping began again. This prompted Sango to roll her eyes and turn around, her eyes instantly zeroing in on a certain Miroku-look-a-like trying to sneak into the mansion. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. She had caught the little worm…now all she had to do was trap him.  
  
  
  
But really, to be truthful, this was the most interesting high-class party she had ever attended. At this one, it was actually eventful. Perhaps it was because of Kagome? It would remain unknown…  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
"Keep the people entertained for fifteen minutes. We need to have a little _talk_ about my money problems."  
  
  
  
"What the hell? I thought you already took your fucking two hundred and fifty thousand dollars three years ago."  
  
  
  
"Let's just say, I spent it all. It's time to renew our contract."  
  
  
  
"I already fucking paid you the amount to keep your damn mouth shut. I'm not paying anymore…especially only after three years."  
  
  
  
"Then wouldn't it be an interesting topic if every single news company in Tokyo suddenly found out the truth…? I mean, that would be just horrible."  
  
  
  
"…You bastard. What does it take to keep your mouth shut for once."  
  
  
  
"Another two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."  
  
  
  
"I'm starting to think I never did it."  
  
  
  
"Oh trust me, you did."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
"Kikyou?" she said out loud as she spied a familiar face in the crowd. Jumping up and down to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, Kagome saw the customary cold expression on the woman's face as she turned around, hearing her name, and spotted Kagome.  
  
  
  
She walked over, Kagome seeing that she was still in her business suit and holding an armful of papers. She looked slightly tired, but more annoyed if possible.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, putting down her cup of water and leaving Kouga for a moment as the man was talking to another woman. "Were you invited?"  
  
  
  
Kikyou sighed slightly as she shifted the papers to her other arm. "The fool forgot to sign important papers before he left. I reminded him almost every five minutes on the intercom, but he still forgot. So I came to get his signature." She looked down at her bundle of papers and sighed again. "If he wasn't so hot-headed, I could be doing something else right now that's more productive than trying to find him in a swarm of famous stars and wannabes."  
  
  
  
Kagome nodded slightly as she listened to the older woman's words. "That's definitely Inuyasha to leave important papers unsigned. But how did you get in here without an invite?"  
  
  
  
A cold, icy, and definitely scary glare was thrown her way. "It's easy to manipulate people," Kikyou whispered as she continued on her way, her high-heels clicking in a rhythm against the dance floor.  
  
  
  
Kagome grimaced a bit. With that type of cold glare, no wonder the attendant didn't stand a chance at denying the woman entrance. She actually felt kind of bad for Kikyou for having a boss like Inuyasha. Kikyou must do a lot of chasing him around to get him to sign things he always forgot to sign, and frankly, that would take up more time than what Kagome would prefer. Thank god she could just go home and live the normal, non-celebrity life after a while more.  
  
  
  
"Hey…Kagome? Do you know what the roses are for?" a confused voice drifted to her ears, and she turned around to see Kouga holding up a long-stem rose and gazing at it almost naively. "The butlers just started handing them out to men out of nowhere."  
  
  
  
Kagome looked around and indeed, many of the men were holding identical long-stemmed roses and scratching their heads. She was about to shrug before a voice boomed around the mansion from the speakers built into the walls.  
  
  
  
"Hey everybody! First off, Mr. Kitao would like to thank you all for coming to his beach party. Are ya'll having fun? Yea! Anyway, let's play a game, alright? All the men in the mansion and beach should have been handed a long-stemmed rose from one of the many butlers. Yea?" the announcer stated, before continuing in his happy voice. "Alright men, we're going to give you five minutes to find your lady, or the woman of your fancy, and give her the rose! Isn't that a nice way to say you care? Yea! So, on the count of three, are you ready?"  
  
  
  
Kagome laughed slightly. This was actually pretty stupid, but at least it sounded fun, or at least the announcer made it sound nice.  
  
  
  
"One."  
  
  
  
Kagome looked around seeing many of the men already ambling around, trying to find their woman.  
  
  
  
"Two."  
  
  
  
She saw Kouga smiling at her and she smiled back. Would he give it to her? Would that indicate he still had a slight crush on her…after all these years?  
  
  
  
"Three!"  
  
  
  
"You know I would have only given it to you out of all these females here," Kouga said and handed Kagome the rose, his smile turning into a smirk. "I know you don't have any more romantic interest in me, but hereby, if you take this rose, you're accepting my proclamation that I will court you…again."  
  
  
  
"Don't you dare take it."  
  
  
  
Kagome whirled her head around to see Inuyasha glaring darkly at them, a few girls flocking around him and his rose, fluttering their long eyelashes at the oblivious hanyou. Kagome's soft smile instantly hardened as she whispered challengingly, "Give me one good reason why not."  
  
  
  
Inuyasha scoffed. "Because I said so."  
  
  
  
She mimicked the scoff. "Too bad that isn't good enough." Turning around to face Kouga who was still waiting for her to accept the rose, she extended her hands out and took the flower, smiling at him. "I won't guarantee you'll get me though."  
  
  
  
"But I'll try anyway," Kouga answered, smirking smugly over at the hanyou.  
  
  
  
Kagome could have been unaware of the signals between the males, but Inuyasha understood the challenge clearly. In youkai terms, it was a matter of which male could court the female and get her in the end. Although he didn't technically like Kagome, Inuyasha wasn't about to say no to a challenge from some wimpy wolf like that. He sent a glare right back at Kouga, accepting it.  
  
  
  
"Hey! There you are, you idiot. I've been trying to find you!" a disgruntled Kikyou snapped as she pushed some of the crowding girls away from her boss and stopped right in front of Inuyasha's face. A displeased frown was evident on her expressions as she glared menacingly at the hanyou. "You left the papers unsigned! I _told_ you to sign it before you left. How many times do I have to chase you to get your signature when it would be much simpler for you to just sign it at the office and let me have some time off!" she lectured, shoving a finger here and a finger up there. "I should just resign sometime."  
  
  
  
Inuyasha was looking past her however, at Kagome who was sending him a glare, holding the rose to her chest. Really, did that girl _want_ that piece of ugly wolf to court her? Well, at least he isn't setting one paw into Inuyasha's mansion or he'll have the guards shoot him like target practice.  
  
  
  
When he finally realized Kikyou in front of him though, Inuyasha smirked and shoved the rose in her free hand. "For you, dearest Kikyou." He could see the dirty glower sent his way from Kagome's direction, and immediately felt conceited again.  
  
  
  
However, Kikyou only sighed in irritation and threw the rose over her shoulders, where the bunch of girls almost ran to pick it up, screaming that Inuyasha had thrown it their way. Kikyou didn't spare a glance back at the battle for the rose as she shoved the bundle of papers up to Inuyasha's face with a pen in her other hand. "Sign," she shot out smoothly, her eyes shining with an apathetic gleam.  
  
  
  
The hanyou sighed and grabbed the pen, messily signing the papers over and over again as Kikyou marched him through them like a military captain. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kagome say something to Kouga before separating from him, going off in some different direction. Should he follow her?  
  
  
  
He took one step away before Kikyou side-stepped to block his view.  
  
  
  
"Damnit, you still have a few more papers! Hurry! Hop to it!" she snapped, flipping over another paper and pointing angrily at the spot where Inuyasha needed to sign. Inuyasha frowned even more as he almost scrawled his signature, trying to rush through the papers as soon as possible. He couldn't resist narrowing onto his prey…he had to corner Kagome.  
  
  
  
"Done!?" he all but yelled as he inked in his signature on the last page. He was about to shove the pen back into Kikyou's hands before she put a hand up to his face, taking out another bundle of papers from underneath the first.  
  
  
  
"Nope, you still have another pile. So get to it!"  
  
  
  
Inuyasha growled as he started scrawling his name all over the paper again, watching as Kagome looked around, as if lost as to where to go. He gazed at her as she started walking down a corridor that led to the bedrooms. Where was that girl going?  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
She blinked as she made her way down the deserted corridor. So the butler had told her to make a right turn at the third door to get to the nearest empty bathroom, but was this part of the mansion supposed to be off limits? It was because the lights were much dimmer and the hallways just seemed so much quieter. Perhaps she had turned at the wrong intersection.  
  
  
  
"Ah damnit," she muttered quietly and was about to turn around and start walking back the way she had came, but voices stopped her in her footsteps.  
  
  
  
Frowning, she looked back up the corridor and could see light coming from a door opened slightly. Muffled voices could be heard coming from it, and she blinked even more owlishly. _Who would be talking in a room this deep in the mansion…?_ she thought as she took silent steps towards the room, her senses alert to any disturbance. However, she felt as if they were dulled, although she ignored it. Perhaps she was just sleepy.  
  
  
  
As she got closer, the voices could be heard more distinctly and sharply.  
  
  
  
"And how long will this money last before you try to open your mouth again?"  
  
  
  
"Perhaps another three years? I wouldn't know, now would I?"  
  
  
  
She frowned, her heart thumping as she heard those words and put her eyes to the crack in the doorway. She could see nothing from that angle, but didn't dare push open the door to see more. So all she could do was listen intently to the conversation.  
  
  
  
"So you sure no one will know we're here?"  
  
  
  
"I put a charm over this area of the mansion. No youkai will be able to sense or smell us. All of our senses are useless here."  
  
  
  
"Good. Wouldn't want anyone to know about your little secret, right?"  
  
  
  
There was a jeer in the person's voice as it hissed, "Unless someone told."  
  
  
  
"Now why would I do that? I'm getting paid rather handsomely, aren't I?"  
  
  
  
Kagome could distinctly pick out the difference between the two voices now. One seemed rather rough and violent, while the other was simply smooth and concealed danger. She didn't like where their talk was getting to…especially with 'secret' 'money' and 'wouldn't want anyone to know' in the same sentence. This came purely out of those cliché movies. But then again, she was at a party where it was all about the actors and actresses…  
  
  
  
"Because really, you poisoned her."  
  
  
  
"How would I know that liquid in the fucking medicine container wasn't medicine? I don't even fucking know why poison was in there."  
  
  
  
"Fact remains, you killed her cleanly. If I hadn't been there to hear the final words, it would have been a spotless murder. It looked innocent too."  
  
  
  
Kagome had heard quite enough. She wasn't sure who the two in there was, or who one of them had killed, but staying around any longer could result in another woman getting murdered. Frankly, she felt a little young to die, and perhaps the two were just rehearsing some script for a new movie?  
  
  
  
Yea, right.  
  
  
  
Moving away from the door, she held her breath out of reflex and began sneaking up the corridor again, hoping she didn't have a momentary clumsy attack and trip over nothing. She breathed when she reached the end of the corridor, turning her head around to see the thin streak of light a good distance away now. If her luck held, she would make a clean getaway.  
  
  
  
Luck was being mean.  
  
  
  
Crashing into something when she wasn't looking in front of her, a cry instantly escaped from her mouth as she felt strong hands grab her arms. Squealing and feeling as if her heart would burst from terror, she shut her eyes tight and shot out, "Don't kill me, please!!"  
  
  
  
"What the hell? I wouldn't kill you, wench. That's no fun."  
  
  
  
She opened her eyes, and saw amused golden eyes. She realized it was Inuyasha and relaxed slightly in his hold, before snapping her head back worryingly at the door, seeing the streak of light growing bigger, indicating that someone was opening the door. Her heart seemed to start beating itself out of her chest as she shook Inuyasha's hold from her and grabbed his hand, her eyes wide as she began to pull him back towards the main ballroom.  
  
  
  
"Yea yea, whatever, kill me another day. Let's go!" she shrieked almost hysterically, seeing a pair of dark eyes poke out of the doorway and narrow at her instantly, the beady gaze chilling her to the core of her being. He saw her. This wasn't good.  
  
  
  
"Calm down, stupid," Inuyasha shot as she dragged him down the corridor, her grip somehow amazingly tight. "By the way you're holding my hand, it would seem like you actually have something for me."  
  
  
  
She could hear the teasing tone in the hanyou's voice, but frankly, she didn't give a damn. Shooting a dark glare over at him, she could still hear her heart thumping wildly, not settling, as they made their way towards the light again. It was pretty quick and only took a few minutes at her pace, as they arrived at the ballroom, where everyone was dancing. Her breathing was ragged---desperate---as she looked around for a glass of…_anything._  
  
  
  
Seeing a butler wander around with a single glass of _something_, she grabbed it as he walked by and downed it, ignoring how gross he tasted. Inuyasha had opened his mouth, but closed it as he watched her silently. When she had finished, she moved the glass away from her lips and continued trying to calm her nerves.  
  
  
  
"Are you okay, girl?"  
  
  
  
Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, a bit amused because she had detected something akin to concern. However, the question was if she was okay or not? Hell no, she wasn't okay. She had just heard some people talking about how one of them had killed someone! That was not okay!  
  
  
  
"Yes…I'm okay…" Way to lie! Was she scared or something? Was she scared that the evil man with evil eyes would come for her if she told Inuyasha?  
  
  
  
Inuyasha however, looked absolutely delighted as he pointed at the empty glass in her hands, a twinkling in his eyes.  
  
  
  
"Well I certainly hope so. You just downed a straight shot of vodka after all."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Well yup, there you go. This is the insane chapter written by a girl having drunk three cans of pepsi in four hours, trying to kill her writer's block and writer a decent chapter. As you can tell, pepsi does strange things to the mind...especially at 4am. At this hour, I'm even scared of the noises my toilet makes. Don't ask. Anyway, you can also tell, the real conflict in this story is surfacing…this is going to be fun for me. ^__^  
  



	9. Denying and Admitting

Author's Notes: People thought I LIKED pepsi. Sorry guys, but I'm anti-soda. I only drink it when in dire moments.  
  
To people who are yelling at me for saying 'Kouga' is spelt 'Koga', I would just like to say: Well I know who watches those deteriorating English dubs of Inuyasha. It is 'KoUga' in the manga and Japanese anime, and Inuyasha (the series) is Japanese. Before someone chews me out further on the 'U' not being pronounced, in the Japanese language, a U subsequent to an O stresses the o slightly. If those who think it's 'Koga' ever watched anime, you'll notice they stretch the 'o' in Kouga.  
  
Sorry about the late update…the break did me good.   
  
If anyone knows why my spacing is messed, PLEASE tell me. I'm having a hernia trying to figure this out.  
  
Disclaimer: The song Kagome bursts out of nowhere is Right Said Fred --- I'm Too Sexy. I don't own that at all.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
As You Wish  
  
IX. Denying and Admitting  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"And what did the caterpillar say to the butterfly?"  
  
  
  
Sango rubbed her temples as Kagome nodded her head enthusiastically, giggling every once in a while and getting up from her seat, before collapsing down to the ground and continuing her giggles. They had left the party when Kagome had started feeling slightly tipsy, and the entire ride home had been a uphill trek for the other girl.  
  
  
  
"What?" Sango asked dully.  
  
  
  
"You must have drank a lot of Red Bull, because it gave you wings!!" She went off into another bout of giggles, her cheeks red as she forced herself back to what she presumed was her seat in the limo. It was next to Inuyasha and the hanyou was only giving her some raunchy looks as her dress slid further up to bunch around her thighs.  
  
  
  
Seeing the rather rude looks thrown at her best friend, Sango got up from her place and went over to Kagome, deliberately sitting right in between the drunk girl and Inuyasha. She sent Inuyasha a dirty look, and growled out, "Why did you let her drink vodka? You should know she isn't a drinker…she gets drunk very, very easily! That's why Miroku and I kept her away from any alcohol in college…Well, I did anyway." She sent Miroku another dirty look.  
  
  
  
The man put up his hands in a pacifying manner, as a small mysterious smile appeared on his lips. Sango only ignored it.  
  
  
  
"Excuse me? I tried to stop her. But she downed it before I could even realize the smell was alcohol…I don't even know what was wrong with her. She looked like a mess…the alcohol loosened her up anyway." As if to prove his point, Kagome was humming something akin to nursery rhymes as she bobbed her head from side to side, a happy, wide grin on her face.  
  
  
  
"You should thank god this was a high-class party without a huge amount of perverts." Sango sent Miroku a dull glare before she continued. "Just don't let her touch alcohol from now on. Next time, we just don't know what might happen. It's hard keeping an eye on a drunk girl."  
  
  
  
"You can say that again," Miroku mumbled absentmindedly as he watched Kagome start crawling to his lap. How she had went from one side of the car to the other in a matter of a second was beyond comprehension, but she had definitely managed it. There was a huge, devious smile on Miroku's face again as he allowed her to put her face mere millimeters away from his, watching her narrowing her eyes.  
  
  
  
"MIROKU!" two simultaneous angry voices screamed, and Miroku widened his eyes as he watched Sango scramble over to get Kagome off of him. He would have complained otherwise, but the sober girl looked ready to tear his head off as Kagome was pulled back to Inuyasha, who Sango decided would be a much safer person to keep Kagome with for now.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha. Look after her," she ordered and dumped the girl next to Inuyasha, shuffling over to take a seat next to Miroku, her eyes on him like a hawk.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha only looked faintly at Kagome as she pulled herself up to his ears, giggling and beginning to fiddle and play with them. If he just twisted his head to the right, he would have a nice view of her chest…damn, Sango was watching.  
  
  
  
"Are these real? They're so cute!" Kagome squealed in a high voice, pulling his furry triangular ears to make sure they're authentic. "They're just like Buyo's!"  
  
  
  
Buyo…? Inuyasha thought mindlessly as he pulled his ears away from her hold and saved it from further danger. Who knows what would provoke that girl to suddenly pull on his ears like a game of tug-of-war. He just couldn't risk being an earless hanyou.  
  
  
  
"Ooo…then what do you have at where my ears are?"  
  
  
  
Feeling her face travel down from the top of his head to the side of his face, he could sense her heavy breath breathing against the side of his face. Oh really, was this girl trying to seduce him in her drunk state? Because if she was…  
  
  
  
"Nothing's there!"  
  
  
  
He pulled her right into his lap after she had finished that sentence, circling his arm around her waist contentedly. Contrary to the usual slap or act of defiance, she only giggled and settled more comfortably against him. This made him smirk slightly, but not before a low, "Inuyasha…" was hissed warningly at him.  
  
  
  
"What? I'm just making sure she doesn't move around," he shot back defensively at Sango, who was keeping Miroku obediently in his seat and his eyes out the window while glaring like a watch dog at Inuyasha. It was just so hard trying to keep her eyes on two immature, perverted boys and an intoxicated girl who looked ready to jump up and start dancing to imaginary music.  
  
  
  
However, there was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other, before Sango hissed, "It better be just that…go any further and I'm amputating the appendage you use to harass her with."  
  
  
  
Inuyasha chuckled and held more tightly onto Kagome, who was making comments about how comfortable he felt. Now, if she really meant those comments about his ears and his lap, he would be happy. But sadly, it was probably just the alcohol speaking. If she was sober at this moment, she might just smash his face against the window out of reflex. Inuyasha had never been one to let opportunities pass by, and frankly, Kagome in her loose state was just too alluring to pass up. If opportunities presented themselves to him, he would take them before anyone else could grab them away from him.  
  
  
  
Then as if the devil had possessed her, Kagome suddenly burst out in lyrics to an old song they had heard a long time ago. "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!" If it was possible, she pushed Inuyasha's arms away from her, jumped up in the cramped limo, and started twirling around as if she was a ballerina wannabe.  
  
  
  
Sango slapped a hand to her forehead and decided that she just didn't have the energy to keep Kagome in check any longer. It was only five minutes before the mansion anyway, and Kagome couldn't get into too much trouble.  
  
  
  
"And I'm too sexy for your party, Too sexy for your party, No way I'm disco dancing!" Kagome busted out, doing some disco moves from the American 70s…or were they the 80s? Anyway, Inuyasha smirked subtly when he noticed that she was just shooting out random parts of the song and not the entire part.  
  
  
  
"I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love," she practically squealed, extending 'love' in an off-key manner. It was a feat she hadn't already tripped over something, but seeing as she was drunk and oblivious to her actions, she finally accidentally tripped over nothing and fell towards Inuyasha.  
  
  
  
Landing right into his lap again, she looked up into his eyes, her own slightly glassy. "Loves going to leave me…" she finished almost sensually, so only Inuyasha could hear those last words.  
  
  
  
Maybe it was the way she said it, or the fact that the way he was holding her allowed him to feel her curves, but it undeniably sparked some sort of possessiveness in him. It especially became known to him when she slowly glided her arms around his neck, putting her head contentedly on his shoulder, sighing slightly before giggling again.  
  
  
  
"You're warm," she commented.  
  
  
  
Now if only Miroku and Sango weren't in the car and watching the entire scene…but no, he wouldn't anyway. He had his morals and Kagome would hang him by the toe and slowly skin him alive if she found out that he had tried to make a move on her. The woman could be aggressive when she was clear-headed.  
  
  
  
"We're home," he told the others, nodding out the window to the mansion appearing. "Sango…you can take her up."  
  
  
  
"No…you take her up. I can't drag a drunk girl up a flight of stairs without eventually falling down and breaking some limbs. You're strong anyway. I'll go get a cup of orange juice for her…Miroku, you help me get some paper bags in case she doesn't make it to the bathroom in time," Sango ordered, giving the two men a hard glare. "Inuyasha, you just make sure she doesn't choke on her vomit during the night and you might be able to survive tomorrow."  
  
  
  
"I doubt it," Inuyasha mumbled, already feeling the pain in his head he would receive the morning after.  
  
  
  
"You didn't stop her, so you pay the consequences."  
  
  
  
"Sir, we have arrived at the entrance. Would you like the butler to help bring Miss. Kagome up to her room?" the driver, Myouga, said as he rolled down the window separating the driver from the passengers.  
  
  
  
"No. I'm fine," Inuyasha mumbled as he slipped a hand around Kagome's back and under her knees, opening the door before Myouga could open it for him. He stepped out, putting Kagome to the ground as she started wiggling around in his hold. "Get on my back," he directed, pointing to his backside as he crouched down a bit.  
  
  
  
Perhaps the sudden widening of her eyes should have alerted him, but the next minute, she was screeching like a wild driver and had jumped onto his back like a dead weight, a cheeky smile on her face as she slapped his ass rather sharply. "Giddy up, horsey!"  
  
  
  
"Don't slap my ass," he grumbled, only to receive another on his right butt cheek. He groaned as she squirmed on his back, sliding her arms around his neck and nearly choking him.  
  
  
  
"But it's so yummy," she said, before running her fingers through his hair. She gasped, as if horrified. "Your hair is silkier than mine! You evil bastard!"  
  
  
  
Now this was just getting a little annoying.  
  
  
  
As Inuyasha struggled to go up the steps with a fidgeting girl on his back, Miroku ran up to the door and got out his keys. It was better to just open the door instead of waking up the whole household. If he wanted that, all he had to do was wait till Kagome walked through the front door.  
  
  
  
"Do you want to walk by yourself!?" Inuyasha snapped when Kagome started bouncing up and down in his hold. "Fine then!" He dropped her at the top of the steps, where her bottom rapidly met the ground. There was silence for just a little while, before an ear-splitting cry ripped through the air, coming from the girl on the ground.  
  
  
  
"My butt hurts now!" she screamed at him, as he suddenly panicked at seeing the tears running down her face. "It's numb!"  
  
  
  
"Ahh…uhh! Stop crying!" Inuyasha pleaded pathetically as he crouched down next to her, only causing Kagome to burst out in more tears. Sango and Miroku watched for a moment, before shaking their heads and making their way to the kitchen. Inuyasha felt like pulling out his hair as he put a hand to her shoulders, shaking her slightly to stop her from crying. It only caused her voice to waver in pitches as she refused to stop. Damn the mood-swings that come with being drunk! "Umm…I'll give you a whole damn box of Belgian chocolate!"  
  
  
  
All at once, the wailing had stopped. "Really?" she whispered suspiciously, narrowing her wet eyes as she eyed him warily.  
  
  
  
He sighed in a defeated manner. "Really."  
  
  
  
"Yay!"  
  
  
  
Another sigh was heard from the hanyou as he hooked his arms under her legs and around her back again, deciding that in this way, he had much more control than he would have if she was on his back. She continued staring up at him with those big, innocent eyes of hers as he jumped over to the stairs with his youkai abilities, taking another leap and reaching the top of the staircase. The sooner this burden was off of him, the better.  
  
  
  
"Are you taking me to my room?"  
  
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
  
"I like that."  
  
  
  
The burden was acting like a bitch in heat now when she had been some crazy party animal just before. If it had been anyone else but Kagome, he would have taken advantage of the situation, but sadly, it was Kagome. In addition to being aggressive, she also had a hostile best friend as well. Survival instinct was a first in many youkai senses.  
  
  
  
Coming to the door he was almost sure was hers, he opened it and looked at the dark, looming shapes inside. Seeing that both his hands weren't free, he used his shoulders to turn on the lights and shine illumination into the blue and yellow room. She was still staring right at him, almost freakily by now as she traced a finger feather lightly down his throat, stopping at the collar of the white shirt he had thrown on before entering the ballroom.  
  
  
  
"I like you," she whispered sultrily, moving her finger along the hem of his collar.  
  
  
  
"Yea, yea, I like you too," he muttered as he walked over to her bed, forcing her pink shoes off before putting her down properly. "Next time bitch, don't drink whatever you see," he said absentmindedly as he bent down to brush some stray hair away from her face, almost smiling gently as he felt her hands slide up his shoulders to his neck.  
  
  
  
"No…I really like you," she said again, her voice soft and silky as he blinked at her words. She was gazing up at him, as if he himself was some delicious piece of Belgian chocolate, and he almost gulped as he turned away from her fervent stare, prying her hold from him.  
  
  
  
Going over to collapse down on the couch, Inuyasha eyed her carefully. "You know, for a moment, I would have thought you actually meant that."  
  
  
  
"I'll show you how much I mean it then."  
  
  
  
Ahh…should he pass this opportunity up?  
  
  
  
Of course not!  
  
  
  
Inuyasha had never been one to pass opportunities up, as he often stressed. Getting up to take one step towards her, he was interrupted as Sango suddenly strode through the door with a cup of orange juice, followed by Miroku who was staring rather openly at her ass and holding some paper bags. Inuyasha coughed as he tried to cover up his embarrassment at almost being caught, collapsing back onto the couch and watching as Sango shuffled over to Kagome, who was looking pained.  
  
  
  
"Aww…you ruined it," Kagome mumbled as she sunk deeper into her pillow, looking at Inuyasha for a moment before keeping her eyes on Sango. "I was just about to show Inuyasha just how much I liked him…"  
  
  
  
Sango slowly, and in calm silence, turned to glare at the hanyou, who was looking innocently at a stain on the ground. Hmm…he would have to tell someone to get rid of that.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha…you weren't about to take up on Kagome's offer right…?" Sango asked, her voice like silk trailing across a knife's edge.  
  
  
  
"Of course not. Who do you think I am?" Inuyasha shot out, defensively._ Other than a horny bastard who would take up the offer.   
_  
  
"Someone who would," Sango replied dully, before coaxing Kagome up to drink her orange juice. "Come on…just drink the glass and you'll feel much better than you would if you didn't tomorrow morning…"  
  
  
  
Kagome took the cup gently, eyeing the content as if it was some disgusting bug, before taking a gulp. She grimaced a bit and put the cup down on the small table next to her, as Miroku put some paper bags next to that. She looked at those and said, "What are those bags for?"  
  
  
  
"You---when you empty your stomach," Sango said in what she supposed was a soothing voice, before pulling the covers up to Kagome's chin. "Now sleep," she said more firmly.  
  
  
  
"But I don't want to!"  
  
  
  
"Sleep."  
  
  
  
"Okay."  
  
  
  
Sango sighed as Kagome closed her eyes and went off to sleep. If Mrs. Higurashi knew what happened to Kagome, the lady wouldn't be that happy to be having her daughter stay with Inuyasha. No matter how lenient Mrs. Higurashi was, every mother had its limit. Sango twirled around to eye the two men staring at her, or one who was staring at the face and the other who was staring at her rear, and coughed to catch Miroku's attention.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha…watch after her, okay? You are not to even step out of this room until she wakes up properly. No breakfast, no girls, whatsoever. If you even try and take advantage of her, you won't like your life after that," Sango stated in an authoritarian voice, sending him a glare that indicated no questions asked. Walking over to Miroku, she grabbed him by the ear. "Miroku, my face is up here, and not down there."  
  
  
  
"Who said he was looking at your face…" Inuyasha mumbled quietly. Luckily, the woman missed his comment and pulled Miroku out the door, while the pervert muttered curses and tried to free his abused ear from her vice-like grip.  
  
  
  
Shutting the door behind her, Inuyasha was left laid out lazily on the couch, staring at the bundle of flesh beneath the covers. His eyes adopted a lethargic glaze as he eyed the covers slowly rise up and down, in tune with her breaths. He sighed after a while. "You're more trouble than I thought you'd be," he said out loud to the sleeping girl as he dug his way into the comfortable crevices of the couch, ready to catch some winks.  
  
  
  
However, his thoughts soon began to wander from their idle state as the silence got to him.  
  
  
  
His golden eyes beheld the blue ceiling above him and he felt himself sigh again. The trouble with women was the fact that if he got to slowly know them, it could lead to the potential developing of feelings. He didn't want to feel any emotions for anyone---Not when his mother had committed suicide. The happy family had been having so many internal problems the year his mother died, and he didn't think he could handle jumping into another relationship that could result in the same. The problem with being rich and semi-famous was that privacy was hardly attained.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha's eyes drifted over to Kagome, who was looking comfortable there, even though she would have one hell of a hangover the next morning. He didn't like her---of course not---but out of all the females he had met in his life, no one else had intrigued him so. It wasn't news to Inuyasha that he was a pretty piece of flesh, and the fact that somebody actually resisted him was uncommon.  
  
  
  
He chuckled slightly. "One day, Higurashi Kagome, one day…just you wait…I'll have you falling heads over heels for me…"  
  
  
  
The only answer was a slight unconscious snort from the girl as she switched positions, her face facing him as her mouth hung open slightly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he looked away from her.  
  
  
  
For now however, tonight was going to be a long, boring night. He closed his eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
---  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh kami…" she whispered groggily as she slowly attained sluggish consciousness---and instantly feeling like crap. Throwing the covers off her body, her eyes narrowed when she felt her head pounding palpably. Bringing her hands up to her head, she groaned slightly when she felt her stomach lurch.  
  
  
  
"Shit…" she muttered as her eyes fell on the bathroom. Jumping off the bed and swaying dangerously, she quickly made her way as gracefully as she could to the bathroom in her condition.  
  
  
  
Her head was spinning---like she had just gotten off a roller coaster---and she dived frantically towards the toilet bowl, grabbing the seat and flipping it up, before emptying her stomach almost painfully. One hand at her stomach and the other holding desperately to the toilet bowl, she didn't even realize that her hair would slowly slip down her face.  
  
  
  
However, she was saved from further frustrations as she felt someone kneel next to her, lightly taking the hair away from her face and the other hand patting her back. She spent the next few minutes that way, continuing to throw up everything she had, while the person tried to help relieve her stress.  
  
  
  
After the revolting was over, she was still feeling queasy as she collapsed on the person next to her, not pondering just who the person was. Feeling half-dead, she snuggled deeper into the comfortable spaces the person offered and felt her eyes give way to fatigue. "Sango…I feel like shit…" she mumbled, before falling asleep again, not seeing the rolling eyes the person had to offer her.  
  
  
  
"Stupid idiot…" Inuyasha muttered resignedly as he picked the dozing girl up and made his way slowly back to her bed.  
  
  
  
  
  
---  
  
  
  
  
  
"You_ really_ think leaving Kagome with Inuyasha last night was a good thing, especially in her state?" Ayame asked as she listened to Miroku and Sango talk, while making breakfast from the kitchen. "I mean…Inuyasha isn't controlled by honor most of the time, but by hormones."  
  
  
  
Sango looked up with one eyebrow raised while Miroku sighed.  
  
  
  
"Sango knows what's best," Miroku said, as he picked at his food in a defeated manner---probably sulking that Sango was keeping her finger on him at all times for some reason unknown to him. "Inuyasha might seem like a shallow idiot, but he can be normal when time calls for it."  
  
  
  
"He would never take advantage of Kagome when she's drunk. We're her friends, that's enough to keep him behaving," Sango added as she took a sip of orange juice.  
  
  
  
"And what if he _doesn't_ behave?" Ayame questioned skeptically.  
  
  
  
"Then the hanyou is going to have two best friends on his tail while he's on the run…that is, if Kagome doesn't make mince meat of him first. Don't worry. All dog demons have survival instinct somewhere---even Inuyasha…somewhere…" Sango trailed off as she too began to ponder just how much survival instinct Inuyasha had. Well, hopefully, it was enough to keep him alive.  
  
  
  
"When Kagome wakes up, the roof is coming down…" Ayame mumbled as she went back to her cooking.  
  
  
  
Using that distraction, Sango slid Miroku a gaze. The simple little stare said a lot.  
  
  
  
_I'm still saying your plan is going to backfire on you, Miroku…  
  
_   
  
Miroku smirked back.  
  
  
_  
Then I'll wait until it does.  
  
_   
  
  
  
---  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey…wake up…I'm hungry…wake up, damnit…I can't leave till you get your lazy butt out of bed…"  
  
  
  
Kagome gradually opened her eyes when she felt someone shaking her shoulders. Feeling her thoughts swim in her head, she dragged herself up from the bed as the covers slid from her body. Everything seemed fuzzy, along with her tongue, and she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Why did she feel like…  
  
  
  
"Shit…" she muttered for the second time, although she was only conscious of the second. Opening her heavy eyelids wider, she saw Inuyasha glaring at her from the side of her bed, looking irritated. "What happened?" she whispered instantly, although that question instigated a plethora of actual questions in her mind as she realized everything was a blur in her head.  
  
  
  
"Oh kami!" she said as she shot up straighter, her heart pounding. "What happened last night!?" she demanded in a panic.   
  
  
  
Inuyasha looked at her like she had just grown another head, before scratching behind his ear in a sheepish manner. "You got drunk," he simply offered.  
  
  
  
Kagome's eyes widened as she remembered being at Sesshoumaru's party and…and…hearing…_that_…  
  
  
  
Her heart seemed to beat even more painfully against her ribcage as she pushed the memory far into the dark corners of her mind, not feeling ready to confront them in her state. She continued on, remembering bumping into Inuyasha, and then…then, they went back to the ballroom…  
  
  
  
And she had instantly shot down something gross…  
  
  
  
Vodka.  
  
  
  
"Idiot!" she shouted as she snapped her furious gaze over to the hanyou, making him take a step back from the sheer rage he saw shining in her sapphire orbs. "You didn't stop me!" she screamed, as she tried forcing herself to remember something further than that. The only images she got remember was crying, screaming, singing…and something about seducing Inuyasha…  
  
  
  
Growing red in the face at the combined forces of embarrassment and anger, Kagome bit her lips as she flung her arms around, getting ready to yell more. "Why didn't you stop me!" she demanded, crawling from the bed and stepping up to Inuyasha, even if the action caused her headache to pulse worse.  
  
  
  
"Excuse me? You drank that thing on your own free will," he shot back defensively, crossing his arms across his chest and trying to put distance between the fuming girl and himself.  
  
  
  
Kagome sputtered, as she stomped her feet around in irritation. "I'm your slave! You control me, you! You! Youuuu" she yelled, purely a spur of the moment, before she realized her mistake. She had actually admitted that she was his slave and that she followed his orders; Doing the things he ordered and actually admitting them were two completely separate things, and she had actually _admitted_ it.  
  
  
  
She didn't miss the smirk that appeared on his face, as he raised an interested eyebrow. "Say that again?"  
  
  
  
_That---that---he actually had the nerve to tell her to say it again!_ Kagome screamed as she held her throbbing head, feeling everything aggravate her even more in her foggy condition.  
  
  
  
"I hate you, Inuyasha! I hate you so much!" she screamed, as she pivoted on her heels and made for the door, flinging it open with a force that made a dent in the wall. She didn't care if he made her pay for it, because right now, she just absolutely hated that infuriating, conniving, brainless, evil _bastard_ for making her life such a mess.  
  
  
  
"Sheesh…you're not a morning person, are you?" Inuyasha asked inside the room.  
  
  
  
That only made Kagome feel even worse after a night of disarray.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
-----  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: I'd hate to be Kagome after a night of misunderstandings and having Inuyasha wake her up… Sorry about the late update. Kanashi inspired me to continue after taking my lazy break. All hail, the genius. She's so nice.  
  



End file.
